Residents gathered with county officials and staff for the aligning of the shadows at Dark Star Park in Rosslyn on Friday morning, Aug. 1.
The sculpture in Dark Star Park was designed by environmental artist Nancy Holt and completed in 1984. It was the first major public art project commissioned by Arlington County. Dark Star Park, which replaced a gas station and warehouse, consists of five spheres, two pools, four steel poles, a stairway, a large tunnel for passage and a small tunnel for viewing and plantings. Once a year on Aug. 1 at 9:32 a.m., the shadows cast by two of the spheres and their four adjacent poles align with shadow patterns outlined on the ground. The date commemorates the day in 1860 when William Ross bought the land that is today Rosslyn. The shadows did not appear on Friday as the sun remained hidden behind the clouds all morning.