My Favourite Astronomical Objects Mystery Cache
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My Favourite Astronomical Objects
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My Favourite Astronomical Objects
Welcome to another Blacklegend cache hide.... I wanted to do another astronomical based mystery cache, so here it is. This one is based on my favourite astronomical objects. No tricky puzzle, encryption, or anything like that, it will just involve a bit of simple internet research.
First a bit of history. I have been involved in amateur astronomy since i was 7 years old. I first became involved in it at about the same time i met my oldest mate, Geoff. We both lived in Epping - a suburb of Melbourne, at the time. Almost 30 years ago now. Geocaching has become a great compliment to astronomy and i often combine the two on some of my trips.
Below is a quick image I took of the milky way rising in the east from my property at Tocumwal. It's not my best imaging effort, but the pic I need for that, is one of my favourite objects....
So what's this cache all about? Well I have decided to tell you my 6 favourite objects after almost 30 years of amateur astronomy... I will tell you the object "General Name" you will have to look up its designation. A bit of internet research will be required.
Designation = In this case, the objects NGC (New General Catalouge)number.
Object 1 - Eta Carina Nebula = A. The Eta Carina nebula is just as the name says, a nebula. Nebula can fall into two types, reflection nebula or emission nebula. The Eta Carina Nebula is an emission nebula. Wikipedia will be your friend here.
Object 2 - The Jewel Box Cluster = B. The Jewel Box cluster is an open cluster. An open cluster is a young group of stars that formed together, in a nebula, and has not yet had time to spread out into the galaxy. An open cluster does not have enough total gravity to keep the cluster together over time.
Object 3 - 47 Tucanae = C. 47 Tucanae is a globular cluster. Globular clusters are massive collections of stars that formed around the time the galaxy formed. They have enough gravity to keep them together over time. Stars in a globular cluster are older and generally have a yellowish colour.
Object 4 - Silver Coin Galaxy = D. The Silver Coin Galaxy is a spiral galaxy. Galaxies are massive collections of stars, nebula, open clusters and globular clusters all bound together gravitationally. From a dark sky, when you look up at the "Milky Way" you are actually looking at the denser parts or "Spiral Arms" of our galaxy. Galaxies come in three general types: Spiral, Elliptical and Irregular. The Milky Way galaxy has an estimated 200 billion stars in it. The universe is estimated to have around 200 Billion galaxies in it... Big numbers hey....
Object 5 - Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. This galaxy is similar to the above Silver Coin Galaxy in that they are both of the type "Barred Spiral" meaning they have a central bar and then a formation of spiral arms. The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy is one of the brightest of this type of galaxies in the sky and is visible in binoculars. Our own Milky Way Galaxy is a Barred Spiral Galaxy, but because we look through our galaxy edge-on we cant see the spiral structure or bar.
Object 6 - The Orion Nebula. The Orion Nebula is a spectacularly large and bright nebula. It is the brightest nebula in the night sky and is visible to the unaided eye and forms part of the "Sword of Orion". The Orion Nebula, as with the Eta Carina Nebula above, is an emission nebula. The Orion Nebula is an area of star formation, and is referred to as a "Stellar Nursery" where new stars condense under gravity from dust and gas.
Below is an image of the Orion Nebula as taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. In extreme close ups of the center of this nebula you find dark globules. These are areas where new stars and solar systems are forming.
For other great astronomy pictures, visit Astronomy Picture Of The Day. Each day a new astro pic is uploaded to the site, and there are some great archives of pictures with explanations.
Onto The Puzzle...
What do you have to do to find the coordinates to this cache.... After finding the objects New General Catalouge number, you will have to work out a bit of maths below, then you will have the coordinates.
U = First digit subtract second digit of designation "A".
V = Third digit of designation "B".
W = First digit plus last digit of designation "C" plus 1.
X = Third digit minus first digit of designation "D".
Y = First digit plus third digit of designation "E" added together
Z = Last digit of designation "F" subtract 2.
Therefore the coordinates are
S 35° 55.UVW E 145° 40.XYZ
The cache itself is a 200ml Sistema hidden in a fairly typical Aussie bush caching manner.
As always with caches near water, be careful. At GZ snakes are a possibility, so keep a look out and keep an eye on the kiddies. GZ is also near a drop off, so be extra careful with the kiddies. With all that in mind, please have Fun.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lbh jvyy trg fcrpvsvpf nsgre lbh purpx vg ba gur purpxre....