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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Chicagohenge: Equinox in an Aligned City
NASA ^ | 22 Sep, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Anthony Artese

Posted on 09/22/2024 11:32:10 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Chicago, in a way, is like a modern Stonehenge. The way is east to west, and the time is today. Today, and every equinox, the Sun will set exactly to the west, everywhere on Earth. Therefore, today in Chicago, the Sun will set directly down the long equatorially-aligned grid of streets and buildings, an event dubbed #chicagohenge. Featured here is a Chicago Henge picture taken during the equinox in mid-September of 2017 looking along part of Upper Wacker Drive. Many cities, though, have streets or other features that are well-aligned to Earth's spin axis. Therefore, quite possibly, your favorite street may also run east - west. Tonight at sunset, with a quick glance, you can actually find out.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; crime; nasa
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 09/22/2024 11:32:10 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 09/22/2024 11:32:26 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; Agatsu77; America_Right; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 09/22/2024 11:33:13 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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To: MtnClimber

How does the equinox affect armed cheeseburger thefts in Chicago?


4 posted on 09/22/2024 11:34:50 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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To: MtnClimber

Today’s photo was taken in 2017. Too dangerous for public interest events in downtown Chi-Town these days.


5 posted on 09/22/2024 11:37:28 AM PDT by NautiNurse (With a cough and a sputter, the original lying dog-faced pony soldier is led out to pasture. )
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6 posted on 09/22/2024 11:40:19 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: MtnClimber

“...Today, and every equinox, the Sun will set exactly to the west, everywhere on Earth...”
-
Not really.


7 posted on 09/22/2024 1:38:23 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th (Get out of the matrix and get a real life.)
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To: Repeal The 17th

Exactly correct. I like the thought of the NASA-sponsored photo but the oversimplification and “exactly” comment drive me to distraction.

‘Course I’m an anal biophysicist/engineer who laid out my house using a transit and WWV to within 0.004 degrees.

Here, to the asccuracy expected because of atmospheric conditions, are this year’s autumnal equinox sunset azimurths for places I’ve been during the equinox:

Sun

Federal Point, FL xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Location: W 81°32’26.4”, N29°44’46.0”,

Date Set Az
(UT1)
h m h m °
2024 Sep 21 (Sat) 23:23 271
2024 Sep 22 (Sun 23:22 270

St George Island, South Shetlands
Location: W 58°57’00.0”, S62°11’00.0”,

Date Set Az.
(UT1)
h m h m °
2024 Sep 21 (Sat) 21:54 269
2024 Sep 22 (Sun) 21:56 268

Fairbanks, Alaska airport
Location: W147°51’40.4”, N64°48’57.9”,

Date Set Az.
(UT1)
h m h m °
2024 Sep 21 (Sat) 03:57 273
2024 Sep 22 (Sun) 03:53 272

Reykjavik, Iceland
Location: W 21°56’00.0”, N64°08’00.0”,

Date Set Az.
(UT1)
h m h m °
2024 Sep 21 (Sat) 19:30 272
2024 Sep 22 (Sun) 19:27 271

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil xxxxxxx
Location: W 43°17’44.1”, S23°00’51.2”,

Date Set Az.
(UT1)
h m h m °
2024 Sep 21 (Sat) 20:49 270
2024 Sep 22 (Sun) 20:49 270


8 posted on 09/22/2024 6:24:13 PM PDT by NelsTandberg ( )
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To: NelsTandberg

Did the sun set “exactly due west” on the day of the equinox
anywhere other than the equator?

Which direction is “west” from the poles?


9 posted on 09/22/2024 8:26:12 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th (Get out of the matrix and get a real life.)
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