Last updated: June 18, 2026
Place
Noyes Armillary Sphere
NPS / Jordan Land
Quick Facts
Location:
Washington, DC
Amenities
1 listed
Scenic View/Photo Spot
The Noyes Armillary Sphere was one of the six original sculptures installed in Meridian Hill Park in the 1930s. Vandals damaged the original sphere in the 1960s and the National Park Service (NPS) removed it from the park for repair. However, the sphere later went missing and was never recovered. The NPS installed a new sphere in November 2024 thanks in part to a generous donation. The NPS oversaw the re-creation of the new armillary sphere using historic photographs and drawings to guide the design.
History
The Commission of Fine Arts considered the idea of an Armillary Sphere as early as January 6, 1928, after receiving a photograph of a model sphere for their comment. By September 10, 1929, the Commission voted to accept a sphere designed by Mr. Paul C. Jennewein, having received a $15,000 donation from Washington philanthropist and artist Bertha Noyes for its purchase.
Bertha Noyes, who commissioned the armillary sphere in memory of her sister Edith Noyes, was a well-known figure in the Washington art world. She studied at the Corcoran School of Art, held many solo shows there, and was a founder of the Washington Arts Club. Congress passed a joint resolution to accept the armillary sphere on April 19, 1932 and the sphere was installed in the park that year. The sphere's total cost at the time was $32,000.
An armillary sphere is a map of astronomical objects and is a tool to track the movement of heavenly bodies, track the time of day as a sundial, and calculate sunrise and sunset times. The metal rings of the sphere represent the great circles of the heavens arranged in degrees for angular measurement.
Chinese astronomers used armillary spheres as early as 200 B.C.E. Europeans used similar spheres during the 7th century to illustrate the Ptolemaic theory of the earth-centered universe. An armillary sphere appears on Portugal's flag, referencing the importance of maritime navigation in the nation's history.
Cast in bronze, the original armillary sphere was 6 feet 6 inches high, 5 feet 8 inches in diameter and 17.79 feet in circumference, and rested on a pedestal of green Conway granite 3 feet 4 inches high designed by the park architect Horace Peaslee.
The sphere contained the signs of the zodiac in bas-relief on the outside of the circle, along with the hours of the day marked in Roman numerals. A bronze arrow formed the axis of the sphere, and in the center was the figure of the winged "Child Greeting the Sun."
The original sphere was laid out in two equal circles that crossed each other at right angles and bisected one another. One circle represented the Meridian and the other the Equator. The meridian was divided into four 90° areas and the equator into 360°. A third circle, the Ecliptic, passed obliquely through the meridian and equator and intersected the equator at an angle of 23 1/4° at two points known as the equinoxes. Two smaller circles at either end represented the Arctic and Antarctic regions and were placed at a position 23 1/4° from their respective poles. A circle representing the line of longitude was placed at right angles to the meridian but bisecting the sphere east and west and thus passing through the north and south poles. A bronze gnomon shows the Axis of the earth and casts a shadow upon the equatorial band. On the inside of this band are represented the minutes of the day in 5 minute increments and there are star symbols that represent the hours of the night.
If you're an armillary sphere enthusiast, you can also check out the Sarah Rittenhouse Armillary Sphere in Montrose Park.
For more information about Meridian Hill Park, visit the Meridian Hill Park landing page on the Rock Creek Park website.