The Sun Dagger - Part 2
During the winter solstice, the spiral petroglyph is bracketed by 2 shafts of sunlight which fall between 2 stone slabs at noon. First appearing as small concentrated spots of light above the sides of the large spiral, the light rays gradually stretch down until they form a bracket around the spiral.
At the winter and summer equinoxes , the large spiral is illuminated by a shaft of light that falls between the 4th and 5th turns of the right half of the spiral, which has 9 turns in total. This has been related to the way the equinoxes split the period of time between the equinoxes. The smaller petroglyph is also illuminated by a smaller shaft of light.
The petroglyph light display therefore serves as an efficient and accurate solar marker - the result of painstaking observation and absolute accuracy on the part of the Anasazi who planned and made it. Unfortunately, the slabs have shifted in a series of mass movements in recent years and the precision of the light displays have been lost.
For more information on Anna Solfaer and her solstice projects, go to her website.