Comments on: Watching Colorado’s Fires https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/ Sun, 19 Apr 2026 04:50:17 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16110 TB Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:39:40 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16110 Radio towers in daylight are surprisingly hard to spot from aerial views. The long shadows are the most significant feature, but that's not much on a latticework tower either. Most towers in rural areas can be spotted best by looking for their access roads and surrounding cleared spaces. Trying to find one in an urban environment takes time. Radio towers in daylight are surprisingly hard to spot from aerial views. The long shadows are the most significant feature, but that’s not much on a latticework tower either.

Most towers in rural areas can be spotted best by looking for their access roads and surrounding cleared spaces. Trying to find one in an urban environment takes time.

]]> By: podrock https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16108 podrock Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:18:47 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16108 There are radio towers on the mountain directly under Pikes Peak that make a good bearing. The distinctive red light behind the academy is also a tower. There are radio towers on the mountain directly under Pikes Peak that make a good bearing. The distinctive red light behind the academy is also a tower.

]]> By: podrock https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16107 podrock Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:16:26 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16107 Excellent work, TB. Excellent work, TB.

]]> By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16106 TB Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:00:26 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16106 <p>And, of course, every now and then you get a lucky break.</p> I'd found a building that seemed to match the one in the photos, and was hooking up some other landmarks. I went to Moraco's Facebook page where he has higher-resolution photos, and found a photo of his house: <img src="http://habitablezone.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Double-Octagon-House.jpg" alt="" width="400" /> Given the bearing information I already had, a monkey could have found it after that. You can even see the camera tripod on the deck. 39° 4'53.23"N 104°49'56.84"W Interestingly, I had already guessed it was in this hilly wooded area, and had "street viewed" nearby Spring Time Court to compare skylines, but I couldn't see past the trees. And, of course, every now and then you get a lucky break.

I’d found a building that seemed to match the one in the photos, and was hooking up some other landmarks. I went to Moraco’s Facebook page where he has higher-resolution photos, and found a photo of his house:

Given the bearing information I already had, a monkey could have found it after that. You can even see the camera tripod on the deck.

39° 4’53.23″N
104°49’56.84″W

Interestingly, I had already guessed it was in this hilly wooded area, and had “street viewed” nearby Spring Time Court to compare skylines, but I couldn’t see past the trees.

]]> By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16103 TB Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:28:44 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16103 A lot of times I use ground features like distinctive buildings when I'm trying to locate a photograph. Street view is very helpful in this. By matching a city skyline and using street view to isolate high buildings I once was able to locate the apartment building a UFO photo was taken from. In this case, there are at least two distinctive structures in Moraco's image, three if you cheat and go to his website for more still photos from the same location (the back deck of his house). Other clues are the shapes of wooded areas, the highway overpass, and other things. It would help a lot if Google Earth had better tools for drawing lines and measuring angles. The location and appearance of the Academy chapel (which is built north-south), Pikes Peak, and other notable landscape features would at least give me a line to search along. I might keep going on this later. A lot of times I use ground features like distinctive buildings when I’m trying to locate a photograph. Street view is very helpful in this.

By matching a city skyline and using street view to isolate high buildings I once was able to locate the apartment building a UFO photo was taken from.

In this case, there are at least two distinctive structures in Moraco’s image, three if you cheat and go to his website for more still photos from the same location (the back deck of his house). Other clues are the shapes of wooded areas, the highway overpass, and other things.

It would help a lot if Google Earth had better tools for drawing lines and measuring angles. The location and appearance of the Academy chapel (which is built north-south), Pikes Peak, and other notable landscape features would at least give me a line to search along.

I might keep going on this later.

]]> By: podrock https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16102 podrock Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:42:20 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16102 Also...the old navigation tools for GEarth were better than they are now. Also…the old navigation tools for GEarth were better than they are now.

]]> By: podrock https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16101 podrock Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:37:04 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16101 Rarely use street view for these sorts of things. I triangulate in Google Earth using the ruler tool, lining up landmarks, saving the result, and see where the bearings cross, narrow down fron there. Rarely use street view for these sorts of things. I triangulate in Google Earth using the ruler tool, lining up landmarks, saving the result, and see where the bearings cross, narrow down fron there.

]]> By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16100 TB Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:13:56 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16100 <p>One of the problems I have:</p> Panning, flipping, and gyrating around Google Earth and diving in and out of street view makes me woozy. One of the problems I have:

Panning, flipping, and gyrating around Google Earth and diving in and out of street view makes me woozy.

]]> By: podrock https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16097 podrock Mon, 02 Jul 2012 03:28:08 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16097 Ya know, I recently saw that there was some sort of contest doing just this sort of geo-locatiopn. Wish I marked it. Ya know, I recently saw that there was some sort of contest doing just this sort of geo-locatiopn. Wish I marked it.

]]> By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/06/26/watching-colorados-fires/#comment-16095 TB Mon, 02 Jul 2012 02:49:27 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17429#comment-16095 From the angle of Pike's Peak and the Academy chapel, the camera is somewhere in some high ground east of Monument or Gleneagle. Given time to locate and identify actual buildings in the shot I could narrow it down a bit more, but that would be a bitch. From the angle of Pike’s Peak and the Academy chapel, the camera is somewhere in some high ground east of Monument or Gleneagle. Given time to locate and identify actual buildings in the shot I could narrow it down a bit more, but that would be a bitch.

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