The Sky Disc 
Forged in bronze 3,800 years ago.
Mysteriously buried 3,600 years ago.
Discovered in Germany by two looters with a metal detector in 1999.
Captured from the black market in a multi-agency sting operation in 2002.
It quickly became one of the most measured objects in history.
In 2013, UNESCO added it to the Memory of the World Register as:
'the oldest concrete depiction of cosmic phenomena in the world.'
Among other uses, The Nebra Sky Disc is an instrument for orienting oneself to the year.
Here's how works.
SUNRISE
If you hold the 30cm (12") disc flat like a plate,
looking south, the golden arc on the left
shows where the sun rises.
SUNSET
Still facing south, the arc on your right
(which was removed before burial)
shows where the sun will set.
SOLSTICE ALIGNMENT
The top of the golden arc aligns with the sunrise/sunset
of the summer solstice and the bottom with the winter solstice.
ONE DISC - ONE ANNUAL REVOLUTION
The gold arc represents the sunrises and sunsets across the year.
The alignment only happens at a specific region in Northern Germany.
For a modern take on this 3,800 classic, The Present works everywhere on Earth.
Now that we know Earth makes its journey around the sun,
here is the Nebra Sky Disc 7.0
Have you ever heard of the Nebra Sky Disc?
Me neither.
I stumbled on it by researching the town where the first international public installation of The Present is heading. It's currently caught up in customs.
The yellow circle is where it will be placed.
I'll share more about the school next month once it's up and photographed but it's located in the town of Halle, Germany.
So, out of curiosity I started looking into it, found the disc, and thought,
"What in the Halle is this!?"
The Nebra Sky Disc is on permanent exhibition at The State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, Germany. A seven minute bike ride to where The Present will be installed before the next full moon.
The museum's installation of the disc is appropriately cinematic.
The Present in Public
In addition to the school in Halle, we've confirmed new placements:
- A hospital in Arizona
- A prestigious design school in California
- And our very own University of Vermont Medical Center
Do you know of a public place where it belongs?
Use or share our online form:
https://thepresent.is/pages/the-present-in-public
Thank you for reading.
In time,
Scott Thrift
“One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.”
—Sophocles
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