alt Hacker NewsCharles Ross spent 50 yrs building Star Axis naked-eye observatory in New Mexico
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On a personal note I used to love stargazing in the mountains of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains as a child. Sort of lost some of the magic when I started needing to wear prescription eyeglasses.
Unfortunately, the article says that you basically need to be rich in order to experience this work of art: “Today, donors can pay a thousand dollars or more to visit with a small group, or sponsor a stair for six figures.”
It sounds like there may be liability issues as well for people visiting in the dark. The article mentioned the state legislature of New Mexico evaluated a plan to purchase it, but abandoned it.
And in 5,000 years, they will say. “They must have worshipped this star to create such a monument around it, showing how connected to the stars this ancient civilization was”
Abydos?
good luck if that startup gets to put up hundreds of space mirrors for nighttime daylight
Dr.Becky had a good rant about it this week in the middle of her episode lol
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr52wOlyOaM
her knowledge + enthusiasm is infectious, love it
https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/ reports the area rates a 2 "average dark sky" on the Bortle scale, just short of an "excellent" score of 1. It's location halfway between Santa Rosa and Las Vegas, New Mexico is as far from populated areas as you might think.