Star Axis, (sculpture).

Star Axis, (sculpture).

Ross, Charles, 1937- , sculptor.

Ouzoonian, Antranig M., engineer.

Madrid, Andrew, contractor.

Beltran, Rick, contractor.

Chaves, Mike, contractor.

Chavez, Sam, contractor.

Hamilton, Doug, contractor.

Weidlinger Associates, engineering firm.

Thomas Mann and Associates, contractor.

Star Axis, (sculpture).

Digital Reference:

Mesa: sandstone and granite; Tunnel: stainless steel with stone stairs; Pyramid: red granite.

Overall: approx. H. 11 stories x W. 1/7 mile; Pyramid: approx. H. 57 ft.

Star Axis is an earth and sky sculpture and naked eye observatory located within a mesa. It is based on the phenomenon known as precession, a subtle wobble in the Earth's movement, and its relationship to Polaris, the star which currently marks the North Pole. A sighting tunnel focused on the North Pole and aligned with the Earth's axis ascends the mesa and goes through a pyramidal structure atop the mesa. Stairs inside the tunnel are engraved with dates which range from 11,000 B.C. to 15,000 A.D., the 26,000 year cycle of Polaris's orbit. The steps ascend towards an aperture which frames the night sky. The dates on a step correspond with the obital position of Polaris visible from that step. The pyramidal structure on the mesa casts shadows to mark the solstices. Within the pyramid is an "Hour Chamber," from which a one hour star rotation framed in the north sky can be seen.

Landscape -- Celestial -- Star

Allegory -- Place -- Extraterrestrial

Allegory -- Time

Outdoor Sculpture -- New Mexico

Administered by Ross, Charles, P. O. Box 1453, Las Vegas, New Mexico 87701

Located Park Spring Ranch, Chupinas Mesa, foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Range, 13 miles south of Interstate 25 on Highway 84, San Miguel County, New Mexico

The land for Star Axis, consisting of 400 acres atop two mesas, was purchased by the artist from W. O. Culbertson in 1975. The site had been part of Mr. Culbertson's 76,000 acre cattle ranch. The United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. and the Hayden Planetarium in New York City provided technical assistance in aligning the excavation correctly. The work was in progress at the time of the SOS! survey, with a projected completion date of 1998. The final cost is estimated at $1.2 million. Funding sources include the New Mexico Arts Division, the Santa Fe Council for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. IAS files include related articles from the New York Times, Dec. 7, 1986, the Los Angeles Times, Nov. 10, 1991, New Mexico Magazine, March 1992, Daidalos (Germany), June 15, 1993, the New Mexican, Oct. 7, 1994 and a 1994 booklet entitled "Star Axis" by Charles Ross which details the project and lists donors.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New Mexico survey, 1995.

New Mexican, Oct. 7, 1994, pg. C-4.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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