Clock of the Long Now

The Clock of the Long Now is a mechanical timepiece conceived to keep time for 10,000 years and to embody the idea of deep time by encouraging thought on a civilizational scale. Conceived by computer scientist Danny Hillis in 1989 and developed by the Long Now Foundation, it is designed to be transparent, repairable, and durable under harsh conditions, using mechanical binary logic rather than electronics. Its timekeeping combines a mechanical oscillator with correction from sunlight, and its displays are planned to show a five-digit Gregorian year, celestial positions, lunar phase, and a star field. Full-scale work is underway in Texas, with a final public clock planned in Nevada.

Van Horn, Texas · United States