Show Y Y V Y V Y V Y Y VAV 7 Y V Y V Y VV Y Y V Y v Fete Da Days Y Dependent on Church Sun Dial In 1743 a meridian column was set setup setup setup up In the old Church of St. St Sui Sulpice pice Paris arts for determining the date on which Easter and other church fetes would fall The column bears a long vertical mark extending down Its center center center cen cen- ter this mark is prolonged on th the floor Together these two lines determine determine de de- deI de- I termine a vertical plane In space which If It sufficiently produced would Include the earths earth's axis and through which the sun would pass at noontime as the earth rotated In order to make this event visible a n small slit was cut through the roof of the church In the same meridian plane Through it the sunlight penetrated penetrated pene pene- slanting downward toward the theline theline theline line helow and swept across It at noontime As Easter approached the suns sun's altitude in the heavens Increased until the spot of sunlight finally crossed the line Hue at the marked point Since the time other fetes followed Easter Easterby by an arbitrary lapse of time the old meridian column installed b by Maurice de Sully determined them all aU Scientific American |