Dark Star Park

Public art installation with concrete spheres that cast perfect shadows once a year

Dark Star Park, at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Custis Road in Rosslyn, is one of the most intriguing pieces of public art in the Washington area. Five large dark concrete spheres rest on the ground or are suspended from tall poles at various heights, suggesting fallen meteors or astronomical bodies. Circular asphalt markings on the ground around them look mysterious year-round.

Once a year — on August 1 at 9:32 AM — the shadows of the spheres fall perfectly within those circular markings, an alignment the sculptor Nancy Holt built into the design to commemorate the date the site was first purchased in 1860. The park is worth visiting any time for its sculptural quality; it's extraordinary if you happen to be there on the appointed morning.

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On August 1 at 9:32 AM, the shadows cast by the concrete spheres in Dark Star Park align perfectly with the circular markings painted on the asphalt nearby. This annual alignment commemorates August 1, 1860 — the date when developer Thomas Moore first purchased the land where the park now stands. Sculptor Nancy Holt designed the alignment deliberately, though most visitors who encounter the park have no idea about it.