Walking Tour of the Solar System Multi-cache
Walking Tour of the Solar System
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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To find this cache you will use a map of the solar system that has been laid out to scale along the west side of University Way as it makes its way from University Heights Center to Cowen Park.
Geocachers need to be familiar with maps, but I bet you have never used a map as large as the one you will need to find this cache. You may have heard the saying “The map is NOT the territory.” In this case however, the map actually IS the territory, it’s a piece of the neighborhood. Traditionally, maps of the solar system (like the one above) are not drawn to scale. There is not enough space on a page to do it properly. Doing this walking tour lets you appreciate how immense and empty the solar system actually is compared to terrestrial standards.
The posted coordinates above mark the position of the Sun on the map. The cache is a bit more than half a mile to the north, at a point that represents the orbit of the planet Pluto. The distance between the Sun and Pluto determines the scale of the map. The distance to the orbit of each planet has been marked on the map using this scale. To simplify a bit, elliptical orbits are considered circular at the average distance to the Sun and all the planets are more or less along a straight line.
Note 7/26/19: The hide at the orbit of Pluto had to be moved. The new location is about 100 feet farther north from the the posted coordinates than the original Pluto. Also the new Pluto is no longer on the line of the other markers, so you will have to use the revised cache formula below to locate it.
Start at the posted coordinate at SE corner of University Heights Center (on the corner of University Way and NE 50th Street). This point represents the location of the Sun at the center our solar system map. According to the scale, the Sun would be the size of a regulation size soccer ball (about 22 cm or 8.4 inches across). This was too large to actually be marked here, so you will have to use your imagination.
The location of the first 8 planets are marked with a white dot on a black background posted at a distance from the Sun that represents its orbit according to the scale. The diameter of each dot is also scaled to show its size in proportion to the scaled Sun. With each dot you will find an abbreviation of the planet’s name and a one-digit code that will be used to calculate the coordinates for the final. The dot for Jupiter, the largest planet, is a little smaller than a quarter dollar. The dots for the inner planets are much smaller. The Earth’s dot is about the diameter of the un-sharpened lead in a #2 pencil. The dot for Pluto (no longer called a planet) is just a spec. Even the smallest dots will be easy enough to locate because they are displayed on a larger black square along with an abbreviation and a code.
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Note 8/29/2022:
Because the glued on plastic markers often fall of during the winter, I have added a second
marker for each of the first 8 planets. The second marker is written with a black permanent
Sharpie at eye level on street side of the same structure as the plastic marker. The second
marker is just the planet code followed by a one digit number.
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The distances to these eight planets, according to the scale of the map, are given below as a northing in UTM coordinates rounded to the nearest meter. There is no need to enter all the waypoints, just set your GPS to the UTM mode and watch how the UTM northing changes as you walk north on University Way. As you know your GPS is often off by 10 meters (sometimes more). Also it was not always possible to post the dot at the exact location. So a little searching may be necessary. The hints below will help you zero in. You will not need the easting as each of the eight waypoints will be found along the sidewalk on the west side of University Way.
CHECK THIS OUT-
If you do this cache on a Saturday morning check out the wonderful Farmer’s Market on University Way. Also, while in Cowen Park, check out the sundial and tadpole - frog sculptures nearby. For those of you who have done any of the Olmsted Legacy caches you should note that Cowen and Ravenna Parks are both part of the original plan drawn up by the Olmsted Brothers back at the beginning of the last century.
UMT NORTHING-
Sun ........ 5279298 50th Street curb + 18 feet.
Mercury .... 5279307 Sun + 12 feet.
Venus ...... 5279315 Mercury + 48 feet.
Earth ...... 5279321 Venus + 30 feet.
Mars ....... 5279333 Earth + 20 feet.
Jupiter .... 5279421 Mars + 270 feet.
Saturn ..... 5279520 52nd Street Curb + 186 feet.
Uranus ..... 5279740 55th Street curb + 176 feet.
Neptune .... 5279989 Ravenna Blvd Curb + 12 feet NE.
Pluto ...... Cache (marked with black P on wood).
Note 1: In cases where there is no suitable marker attachment structure exactly at the specified UTM Northing, the marker may be off by a few meters. Usually this is within 3 or 4 meters.
UTM Northing are measured in meters (1 meter = 3.23 feet) and mark the scaled location of each planet marker. The difference of two UTM values equals the distance in meters between them.
Note 2: To the right of each UTM is the actual location of that maker. Distances are measured walking north where each step equals 2 feet. Curb means the place on the north side of a cross street crosswalk ends and the U-Way sidewalk begins.
FORMULA--
The cache coordinate formula is: North 47 40.MUV, West 122 18.NSM, where each letter (MUVNS) represents the one-digit code found on the planet marker starting with that letter.
HINTS--
Me- No parking on Saturday sign.
V- Light pole nut.
E- On doggie bag sign at eye level.
M- 10 inch + Eye level parking sign post.
J- U-HEIGHTS Reserved Parking Space 44.
S- Low on parking sign.
U- Eye level on End School Zone sign.
N- Eye level on small stop.
P- Low on north end of "wood trail."
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf bhg bs fvtug jvguva n sbbg bs gur Cyhgb znexre. Hfr fgrnygu va ergevrivat. Ercynpr nf sbhaq bhg bs fvtug.