Re: [Utah-astronomy] Government funded observing platforms
Patrick, Yes indeed, you have the right area. Using the scales on your screen shot, the concrete arrow is half way between F & G north & south, and about 6.1 east and west. You need to zoom in some more, and here is a modified description of what I posted June 5th at 10:36 pm MDT with a subject line of "Best place to see Mercury from SLC area?": Enable the Roads and Panoramio Layers in Google Earth. Zoom in until you can clearly see the I-80 emblem on the exit 62 bridge over the freeway. With a zoom that shows a scale ruler in the lower left of about 1200 feet or an altitude level of about 7400 feet in the lower right: Follow the line of the bridge to the northwest about 2.5 times the width of the interchange (as measured between the on & off ramps) to a pair of Panoramio photo markers just beyond a dirt road running SW to NE. If you see only one marker, zoom in a bit more. The photo in the left marker is looking east and the photo in the right is looking west. The photos are labeled Airway Beacon 57 SFO-SLC. The arrow shaped slab of concrete is barely discernible (it looks like a dumbbell) right beside the north side of the kink in the dirt road SSE of the right hand Panoramio marker. Interestingly, the concrete arrow is pointed more at Ogden than SLC. Close enough I guess for government work especially after the concrete sets up. It takes a pretty good 4x4 to climb up the hill just west of the bridge, so it probably is a poor site for observing. In addition to lights from freeway traffic and the glow in the east, the disposal sites to the southwest offer light pollution along with waste management. But the views to the north, overlooking SLAS's Lakeside site, are pretty dark. That should get it for you. If not, we'll just have to light up Google Earth sometime when we're both at the same place. I wonder how many of the other 56 still exist? Ed
Found it. http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/exit62arrow.jpg Googling "Airway Beacon 57 SFO-SLC" took me here: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/36622261 40° 49' 36.51" N 112° 54' 21.36" W Thanks much! patrick p.s. We should have all taken your advise to go there for the transit. On 26 Aug 2013, at 18:59, Ed wrote:
Patrick,
Yes indeed, you have the right area. Using the scales on your screen shot, the concrete arrow is half way between F & G north & south, and about 6.1 east and west.
You need to zoom in some more, and here is a modified description of what I posted June 5th at 10:36 pm MDT with a subject line of "Best place to see Mercury from SLC area?":
Enable the Roads and Panoramio Layers in Google Earth.
Zoom in until you can clearly see the I-80 emblem on the exit 62 bridge over the freeway. With a zoom that shows a scale ruler in the lower left of about 1200 feet or an altitude level of about 7400 feet in the lower right:
Follow the line of the bridge to the northwest about 2.5 times the width of the interchange (as measured between the on & off ramps) to a pair of Panoramio photo markers just beyond a dirt road running SW to NE. If you see only one marker, zoom in a bit more.
The photo in the left marker is looking east and the photo in the right is looking west. The photos are labeled Airway Beacon 57 SFO-SLC.
The arrow shaped slab of concrete is barely discernible (it looks like a dumbbell) right beside the north side of the kink in the dirt road SSE of the right hand Panoramio marker.
Interestingly, the concrete arrow is pointed more at Ogden than SLC. Close enough I guess for government work especially after the concrete sets up.
It takes a pretty good 4x4 to climb up the hill just west of the bridge, so it probably is a poor site for observing. In addition to lights from freeway traffic and the glow in the east, the disposal sites to the southwest offer light pollution along with waste management. But the views to the north, overlooking SLAS's Lakeside site, are pretty dark.
That should get it for you. If not, we'll just have to light up Google Earth sometime when we're both at the same place.
I wonder how many of the other 56 still exist?
Ed
participants (2)
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Ed -
Patrick Wiggins