About this mystery cache
Beetle juice? Nope, it’s Betelgeuse!
This mystery cache is dedicated to the science of Astronomy. Although geocachers are usually very down to Earth people, this cache will hopefully allow you to go on a space travel and learn more about the stars, galaxies, nebulae and other celestial objects around our planet Earth and perhaps will encourage you to dream more often and question the purpose of ordinary things with a bigger curiosity. If you manage to solve the task, this celestial journey will end in a place where the container is hidden.
Useful information
GALAXIES
Galaxies are sprawling space systems composed of dust, gas, and countless stars. The number of galaxies cannot be counted — the observable universe alone may contain 100 billion. Some of these distant systems are similar to our own Milky Way galaxy, while others are quite different. Galaxies with less than a billion stars are considered "small galaxies." In our own galaxy, the sun is just one of about 100 billion stars. Galaxies are classified into three main types: spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies, and irregular galaxies.
Spiral galaxies, such as the Milky Way, consist of a flat disk with a bulging center and surrounding spiral arms. The galaxy's disk includes stars, planets, dust, and gas — all of which rotate around the galactic center in a regular manner. This spinning motion, at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second, may cause matter in the disk to take on a distinctive spiral shape like a cosmic pinwheel. Some spiral galaxies obtain even more interesting shapes that earn them descriptive names, such as sombrero galaxies. Older stars reside in the bulge at the center of the galactic disk. Many new stars also form in spiral systems, and their disks are surrounded by a halo, which scientists believe is rich with mysterious dark matter.
Elliptical galaxies are shaped as their name suggests. They are generally round but stretch longer along one axis than along the other. They may be nearly circular or so elongated that they take on a cigar-like appearance. Elliptical galaxies contain many older stars, up to one trillion, but little dust and other interstellar matter. Their stars orbit the galactic center, like those in the disks of spiral galaxies, but they do so in more random directions. Few new stars are known to form in elliptical galaxies. The universe's largest known galaxies are giant elliptical galaxies, which may be as much as two million light-years long. Elliptical galaxies may also be small, in which case they are dubbed dwarf elliptical galaxies.
Galaxies that are not spiral or elliptical are called irregular galaxies. Irregular galaxies appear misshapen and lack a distinct form, often because they are within the gravitational influence of other galaxies close by.
Galactic Mergers
Some galaxies occur alone or in pairs, but they are more often parts of larger associations known as groups, clusters, and super-clusters. Galaxies in such groups often interact and even merge together in a dynamic cosmic dance of interacting gravity. Mergers cause gases to flow towards the galactic center, which can trigger phenomena like rapid star formation. Our own Milky Way may someday merge with the Andromeda galaxy — just two million light-years away and visible to the naked eye from Earth's Northern Hemisphere. These intergalactic processes may be part of natural evolution by which irregular galaxies transform into one of the other shapes, and by which spiral galaxies eventually become elliptical galaxies — as scientists believe they must.
Galaxy Origins
Most astronomers suggest that galaxies formed shortly after a cosmic "big bang" that began the universe some 10 billion to 20 billion years ago. In the milliseconds following this explosion, clouds of gases began to coalesce, collapse, and compress under gravity to form the building blocks of galaxies. Scientists are divided on just how galaxies first formed. Some believe that smaller clusters of about one million stars, known as globular clusters, formed first and later gathered into galaxies. Others believe that galaxies formed first and that only later did the stars within them begin to gather into smaller clusters.
NAMING OF GALAXIES AND NEBULAE
Galaxies and nebulae usually have several names. That’s because there are several catalogs that maintain the names. For example, there’s the Messier catalog of objects. This was a list of 110 fuzzy objects that Charles Messier maintained that could be confused with comets. There’s another list that starts with NGC. For example, NGC 7331, a galaxy that has been called a twin of the Milky Way because of its similarity. The NGC catalog is short for New General Catalogue, and it’s a list of 7,840 interesting objects in the night sky. There are also specialty catalogs that describe objects in other wavelengths, like x-ray and even gamma rays. And many galaxies and nebulae will have “names” in those directories as well.
NEBULAE
The word "nebula" is derived from the Latin word for "clouds". Indeed, a nebula is a cosmic cloud of gas and dust floating in space. More than one nebula are called nebulae. Nebulae are the basic building blocks of the universe. They contain the elements from which stars and solar systems are built. They are also among the most beautiful objects in the universe, glowing with rich colors and swirls of light. Stars inside these clouds of gas cause them to glow with beautiful reds, blues, and greens. These colors are the result of different elements within the nebula. Most nebulae are composed of about 90% hydrogen, 10% helium, and 0.1% heavy elements such as carbon, nitrogen, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron. These clouds of matter are also quite large. In fact, they are among the largest objects in the galaxy. Many of them are dozens or even hundreds of light-years across. Nebulae have been divided into five major categories. These are emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, dark nebulae, planetary nebulae, and supernova remnants. Emission and reflection nebulae tend to be fuzzy in appearance and lack any noticeable shape or structure. They are also known as diffuse nebulae.
Emission Nebula is a cloud of high temperature gas. Within this type of nebula, a star energizes the atoms in the cloud with ultraviolet radiation. As these atoms fall back to lower energy states, they emit radiation. The process is similar to that of a neon light. This causes the nebula to glow. Emission nebulae tend to be red in color because of the abundance of hydrogen. Additional colors, such as blue and green, can be produced by the atoms of other elements, but hydrogen is almost always the most abundant. A fine example of an emission nebula is the Orion Nebula.
Reflection Nebula differs from an emission nebula as it does not emit radiation of its own. It’s a cloud of dust and gas that reflects the light energy from a nearby star or group of stars. Reflection nebulae are frequently the sites of star formation. They usually tend to be blue in color because of the way that the light is scattered. Blue light is scattered more efficiently. The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius is a good example of a reflection nebula.
Dark Nebula is a cloud of dust that blocks the light from objects behind it. They’re very similar to reflection nebulae in composition and look different primarily because of the placement of the light source. Dark nebulae are usually seen together with emission and reflection nebulae. The Horsehead Nebula in Orion is probably the most famous example of a dark nebula. It is a dark region of dust in the shape of a horse's head that blocks the light from a much larger emission nebula behind it.
Planetary Nebula is a shell of gas produced by a star as it nears the end of its life cycle. Their name can be a bit misleading. They actually have nothing to do with planets. These nebulae were given this name because they often look like planets due to their round shape. The outer shell of gas is usually illuminated by the remains of the star at its center. The Ring Nebula in Lyra is one of the best examples of a planetary nebula.
Supernova Remnants are created when a star ends its life in a massive explosion known as a supernova. The explosion blows a large amount of the star's matter out into space. This cloud of matter glows with the remains of the star that created it. One of the best examples of a supernova remnant is the Crab Nebula in Taurus. It is illuminated by a pulsar which was created by the supernova.
Task
The initial coordinates of this cache are virtual and you won’t find the container or any task-related information here. In order to get the coordinates of the final stage you’ll have to solve the task below. The final coordinates are only approximate, the cache is hidden somewhere really close. After you have logged please place the cache exactly where you found it! Good luck and have fun! :)
N 54 4 (B - E*2 - D*3) . (E*H - A*C + F*3 - D*18)
E 025 1 ((G - A):5). ((F*G - B*H):5 + F*3 - D*20)
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