(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 wider, 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
top 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.
- 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 Neptune's chariot. (It must have been winged. How else did it
get there? Can anyone identify the make/model?)
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.
This is a good area for Cache In Cache Out
(CITO), so feel free to bring a gargage bag with you. The final
container is "lock & lock" container. Please replace both
stages of the cache as you found them.
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