# Sofaer 1979: A Unique Solar Marking Construct

> Anna Sofaer, Volker Zinser, Rolf M. Sinclair, 1979. 10 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The founding paper of the Sun Dagger reading.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D9KT6AR0XPY/a-unique-solar-marking-construct  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Great houses of Chaco Canyon](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon)Sofaer 1979

**0**

# A Unique Solar Marking Construct

Anna Sofaer, Volker Zinser, Rolf M. Sinclair, 1979. _Science 206(4416): 283-291_.

Describes the three stone slabs on Fajada Butte that cast light onto two spiral petroglyphs, marking the solstices and equinoxes by the height of the midday sun, and notes that the assembly could be used to observe lunar phenomena.

**Great houses of Chaco Canyon** Articledoi: **[10.1126/science.206.4416.283](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.206.4416.283)** Checked against the original0

## What it's used for here

The founding paper of the Sun Dagger reading.

## Cited by on this site 10 records

[The Sun Dagger marks the solstices, equinoxes and lunar standstills, and great houses and shrines are aligned…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/answers/ANS0D9KV3CE4EX1/the-sun-dagger-marks-the-solstices-equinoxes-and-lunar)

Answer

ANS

[The slabs were set or shaped so that midday light marks the solstices and equinoxes on the spirals, and the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/answers/ANS0D9KVGJA3VMP/the-slabs-were-set-or-shaped-so-that-midday-light-marks-the)

Answer

ANS

[The Sun Dagger (spiral petroglyphs and three slabs on Fajada Butte)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/artifacts/ART0D9KVBXW0PTV/the-sun-dagger-spiral-petroglyphs-and-three-slabs-on-fajada)

ART

[At summer solstice a single dagger of light crosses the centre of the large spiral; at the winter solstice…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/evidence/EVD0D9KVGT41ZCA/at-summer-solstice-a-single-dagger-of-light-crosses-the)

Evidence

EVD

[Light and shadow on the Fajada Butte spirals mark the solstices and equinoxes by the height of the midday sun.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/evidence/EVD0D9KV3M80VE7/light-and-shadow-on-the-fajada-butte-spirals-mark-the)

Evidence

EVD

[Sofaer, Zinser and Sinclair publish the Sun Dagger as a solar marker](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/events/EVT0D9KV06W7RMC/sofaer-zinser-and-sinclair-publish-the-sun-dagger-as-a-solar)

EVT

[Anna Sofaer](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/people/FIG0D9KTEW63SZ0/anna-sofaer)

FIG

[The great houses of Chaco Canyon](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon)

The mystery article

MYS

[Do the buildings and markers at Chaco encode astronomy?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KTT3J4BBQ/do-the-buildings-and-markers-at-chaco-encode-astronomy)

Question

QST

[Was the Fajada Butte spiral made and used as a solar calendar?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4BP04RM/was-the-fajada-butte-spiral-made-and-used-as-a-solar)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
Sofaer, A., Zinser, V., & Sinclair, R. M. (1979). A Unique Solar Marking Construct. Science 206(4416): 283-291. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.206.4416.283
```

[Find it at doi.org](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.206.4416.283)

Key

**SRC** 0D9KT6AR0XPY

Kind

Journal article

Rights

The publisher's

Checked

Against the published article

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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