The listed coordinates will not lead you to the
cache!
The Sun, our nearest stellar neighbour, produces a dramatic
display at dawn. Hopefully this cache will get you out to witness
the spectacle from a great spot.
Just how much do you know about this seething ball of gas? Well,
the Sun makes up most of the mass in the solar system (more than
99%). It is composed mainly of hydrogen (74%) and helium (25%),
with small amounts of other heavier elements. It produces heat and
light as a result of fusion reactions in its core. The temperature
at the surface of the Sun is such that the peak in its emission
spectrum corresponds approximately to the wavelength at which the
human eye is most sensitive. Can this be a coincidence? I think
not! The Sun supports a dynamic magnetic field, which reverses
polarity every eleven years (one solar cycle). The solar wind
originates at the Sun, and is a plasma (ionised gas) which expands
out into the solar system at supersonic speed, dragging the Sun's
magnetic field with it to form the interplanetary magnetic field
(IMF).
Answer the following questions to find the cache:
- What is the surface temperature of the Sun? A800K.
- What is the mass of the Sun? B×1030 kg.
- What is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun?
1C9.6×106 km. This is known as 1 Astronomical
Unit (AU).
- What is the solar power flux at 1 AU? 1D70
W/m2. This is known as the solar constant.
The ACE and SOHO satellites orbit
around the Sun at the same rate as the Earth (they are at a
Lagrangian point in the Earth-Sun system). What was
- the average interplanetary magnetic field strength during
January 2006? E.4 nT.
- the maximum solar wind speed during January 2006? F70
km/s.
It might be userful to consult CDAWeb to get some of the
answers.
The cache is at
S 29° CB.(A+D)C(D+B)' E 31° A.F(A-C)(F+B)'.
You should try to visit the cache at
sunrise.
| This is a high traffic area: please be
stealthy! |
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.