(Image Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.)
As a child in school, you may have made a model of our solar system, such as a hanging mobile or a picture showing the sun, planets, and moons. Although these childhood models show relative size and distance, they are wildly out of scale. Amazingly, the sun is 400 times larger than our moon, AND 400 times farther from the earth than the moon. It would not be practical to make a model to scale. To get an idea of the relative size of the sun and moon, consider this. If the moon were the size of a marble 1/2 inch in diameter, the sun's volume would be a sphere almost 17 feet in diameter. That is about the volume of a room in a house (17' x 17' x 8'). Think about how many marbles it would take to fill your bedroom.
If the moon were made of cheese, you could fill the sun with 64 million moons. That is based on volume. Of course the actual number of moons would be less because of the empty space between the moons. If anyone can figure out how many spheres will go into a sphere with a diameter 400 times as big, let me know (if you can figure this out, you probably always win the 'How many jellybeans are in the jar?' contests).
To get a feel for the relative distance of the earth/moon/sun,
look at the image below (Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Arizona State University):
Since this is a real image taken with a spacecraft, it shows the correct size versus distance of the earth and moon.
On my computer screen, the earth and moon are 3.5 inches apart in
this image. To scale, that would make the sun the size of a basketball (15 inch diameter) 117 feet away!
How does this compare to your previous ideas of the earth, sun, and moon?
So during a solar eclipse the moon exactly covers the sun because the sun is 400 times wider than the moon, and is 400 times farther away. The light you see in the above image is the sun's dense atmosphere known as the corona. This can only be observed during a solar eclipse because it is so much dimmer than the energy coming from the sun.
To find this cache, you will need the instructions below and you will need to bring a penny.
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Go to the listed coordinates, and find the 'instrument'. (Reminds me of ShalimarJim.)
- Position yourself near the coordinates with a clear view of the water tower to the northwest.
- Hold the handle end of instrument to the tip of your nose while pointing the instrument toward the water tower.
- With your other hand, move the penny along the length of the instrument until the width of the penny matches the width of water tower. Since the water tower is not circular, just match the width.
- Find the coordinates on the instrument closest to the position of the penny.
- Go to these coordinates to find the cache.
There is a first-to-find (FTF) bonus hidden near the final location. You will find it by the light of the Poseidon's chariot. (It must have been winged. How else did it get there? Can anyone identify the make/model?)
I suggest parking on the side of Highway 20, across the street from the Chelco Office near coordinates N30 28.429, W86 24.211. Walk 800 feet west under the power lines to stage 1. After you find stage 2, you can continue down the trail. When you reach the next main trail, turn left. This will take you back to the highway not far (400 ft) from your vehicle.
This cache is within the Eglin Air Force Base reservation. A pass is
required to be on the reservation. It cost $7 (2005) for October - September
and comes with a great map. It can be obtained from Eglin AFB Natural
Resources Branch (Jackson Guard Office), located at 107 Highway 85 North,
Niceville FL 32578. See GCKC1A or coordinates N 30° 31.480 W 086° 29.585.
Office hours are: Monday-Thursday 7:00-4:30pm; Friday 7:00am-6:00pm; Saturday
7:00am-12:30pm; Closed on Sunday and Federal Holidays.
A pass can be obtained by going to Jackson Guard or by mail. (See above
address). Mail a copy of your most recent pass to Jackson Guard at above
address with any changes in address noted. It takes 1 to 2 weeks to process.
If you do not have a pass, mail a copy of your driver’s license with your
phone number. Payment by mail must be by check. They will accept it made
out to Jackson Guard. Phone # is (850)882-4164. A pass can also be obtained
immediately by going to Jackson Guard in person during office hours.
There are some other great caches in this forest. See the 'Pippen Forest'
Bookmark List link on this page.
Please replace both stages of the cache as you found them.