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The Sion astronomical clock is an
astronomical clock An astronomical clock, horologium, or orloj is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets. Definition ...
at the town hall of Sion in the canton of
Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. The clock was first installed in 1667–68; the present mechanism dates from 1902. The clock has five dials: on the two lateral sides of the clock tower, there are 12-hour dials. The principal dial on the front of the tower indicates, from the outer to the inner ring: * the hours, on a chapter ring numbered I to XII twice, indicated by a double-ended fleur-de-lys hand; * the signs of the zodiac; * the months; * the minutes, indicated by an arrow hand. The position of the Sun in the zodiac and the month are both indicated by a hand with a golden sun. The other end of this hand, with a star, indicates the constellation which passes through the meridian at Sion in the middle of the night. The two smaller dials underneath the principal dial indicate the day of the week, represented by an illustration of its classical deity, and the
lunar phase A lunar phase or Moon phase is the apparent shape of the Moon's directly sunlit portion as viewed from the Earth. Because the Moon is tidally locked with the Earth, the same hemisphere is always facing the Earth. In common usage, the four maj ...
by means of a rotating moon ball.


References

{{coord, 46.23378, 7.36061, format=dms, type:landmark_region:CH, display=title Clock towers in Switzerland Astronomical clocks in Switzerland Sion, Switzerland Buildings and structures in Valais