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master of the sun Video

This video examines solar water heating. Solar water heating is one of the most cost effective ways to use solar energy. Though there are many different types of solar water-heating systems, the basic technology is very simple and illustrated in this video.  Runtime is 2 minutes 8 seconds.

After centuries of violent desert storms
and searing heat, this ancient building still commands
respect. Four stories high and 60 feet long, it is the largest structure known to survive from the Hohokam civilization -- a Southwest desert culture which began
about 200 years before Christ.

Early Spanish explorers called it Casa Grande, which means "Great House"… to them it was a mystery.

Why was this great structure built and what was it used for? Its walls face the four cardinal points of
the compass, and on every June 21st, a beam of light
passes through a special opening, marking the summer solstice, - the longest day of the year.

Apparently, the Hohokam builders of the
Great House, were people who knew well the ways of
the sun.

Centuries of observation and experience, allowed them to use the sun's movements as a calendar
to mark planting time and other important occasions.

They also engineered earth-sheltered buildings, which used the sun to stay warm in winter and cool in summer.

Throughout the Southwest, there are reminders of their architectural contributions: astronomical bservatories, south-facing cliff dwellings and structures built on open plateaus - most of which display a remarkable sensitivity to the sun's daily and seasonal movements.

At Mesa Grande ruins, about 50 miles from Casa Grande, there is a room which marks the winter
solstice…

Not far away, at Hole in the Rock, archaeologists have found what they believe was a very special place for the Hohokam…

"This particular archeological site has a great deal of significance "in as much as it very clearly shows the
astronomical studies of the prehistoric people"

"One of the things that we have discovered of early people in their observations of the sun, the moon
and the stars is that not only did they have direct observation in relation to /the horizon, but they had indirect observations where they would watch the shadows and light beams caused by certain rock formations as they traveled across the surface of the
ground and they would use those markers, to indicate when certain things would happen at certain times of the year, much as Stonehenge does.

Because architecture is one of archaeology's most
important sources of data, the wealth of detail from Hole In The Rock, Mesa Grande and Casa Grande
is an invaluable resource for archaeologists.

All of these sites contain clues, which are unlocking the mysteries behind one of the great prehistoric
cultures of North America.

It's becoming clear that the Hohokam used great ingenuity and persistent solar observation to create a comfortable, productive and safe living environment.

They were truly Ancient Masters of the Sun.