Astrolabe Rotunda

A stainless steel sculpture depicting an astrolabe, a device used by ancient Egyptians and Greeks in timetelling and navigation, atop a rotunda featuring the 12 astrological symbols of the year and the four compass points.

The latitude of central Ohio was used to determine the angle of the axis of the astrolabe. The shadows from the central gnomon are cast on the dial marks of the outer ring.

Designed by New York artist Alvin Scher, the sculpture was originally constructed by OWU assistant professor of fine arts Jonathan Quick for a temporary exhibit on the JAYwalk part of Ohio Wesleyan's campus in 1996 before being moved to a public Plaza in New York in the spring of 1997.

The sculpture at some point returned to the OWU campus and was eventually installed in 2005 in front of the newly renovated Science Center as a gift from the Class of 2003.