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Chimney Rock National Monument
Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Intrepid traveler Dr. Ed Krupp, Director of the Griffith Observatory and Club Member, visited Chimney Rock National Monument in Colorado, with an Observatory Internet broadcast team.
By Dr. E.C. Krupp
Here I am now with a picture of the Griffith Observatory Remote Livestream Internet Worldwide Broadcast Team at one of its appointments with the major standstill northern moonrise at Chimney Rock National Monument, near Pagosa Springs in southwest Colorado.
Griffith Observatory, with help from Griffith Observatory Foundation, has been developing this capacity for remote broadcasts since 2023, with the first on-site tests performed at Chimney Rock for the benefit of the U.S. Forest Service, which operates this Ancestral Pueblo site. At Chimney Rock, the northernmost moon seen each month over a two-year period in an 18.61-year cycle appears to rise between the two natural rock pillars on the summit of the ridge, where a Chaco-Canyon-like Great House was built about a thousand years ago by the prehistoric people of this area.
Although some ancient and prehistoric sites in various parts of the world have been argued to have been built to align with the moon’s greatest excursions, there is no proof these alignments were intentionally designed into the structures. Nonetheless, the northernmost moonrise at Chimney Rock is perhaps the most visually persuasive. High interest in these moonrises cannot be satisfied, however, by visits to the site because the summit can accommodate very few people.
Griffith Observatory has instead been able to capture the moonrise on live video from the summit, where there is no power and no connectivity. The transmission is done with the help of Starlink satellites to the Visitor Center amphitheater for 200 people at the bottom of the high ridge. The broadcast at the same time was transmitted to the world on the Internet. Three broadcasts were successfully conducted in 2024, and the Broadcast Team will return to Chimney Rock in September, 2025, as the major standstill season winds down.
Griffith Observatory also produced broadcasts for several of the northernmost and southernmost moonrises and moonsets from Griffith Observatory in 2024 and will continue in 2025 until the major standstill season closes at year’s end.
All of the Griffith Observatory major standstill broadcasts, including those from Chimney Rock, may be accessed at https://griffithobservatory.org/extreme-moon-the-major-lunar-standstills-of-2024-2025/
Standing still for no moon,
— Ed
Letter From Bruges.
The Venice of the North
Halfway between Belgium’s capital city of Brussels and the port of Ostend on the English Channel lies the Flemish town of Bruges. Known for its picturesque cobblestone streets, museums, historic breweries, world-class chocolatiers and Christmas market, it’s no wonder that the town is the most popular destination in Belgium.
Bruge means “bridge” in Flemish and refers to an ancient Roman bridge across the River Reie. The town grew around the fortification built by the ninth-century Counts of Flanders. The city’s many canals give it easy access to the sea, making it popular with merchants importing and exporting textiles for the spinning and weaving industry. Today, the canals are ideal for river tourism, making it a must-see stop on a river cruise, often called the “Venice of the North.” Look for medieval stone monk figures on some bridges used as water levels.
In 1475, English merchant William Caxton printed the first book in English, The Recuyell of the Histories of Troy, the Greek story of Troy, in Bruges.
Bruges Square contains several historic buildings, including the 12th century Belfry, once the town treasury. The 272-foot-high tower with its 47 bells served as a watchtower for spotting fires and, in times of conflict, foreign troop movements, which were often judged by the number of castles and fortified châteaux in the area. The Provincial Courthouse was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style after a fire in 1878. It has a free bicycle tire pump by its entrance and, next door upstairs, a beer museum overlooking the square – the perfect place to wait for your partner on Wednesdays while they are shopping in the open-air food and flower market below before taking a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride around the town.
On a more historical note, visit the Basilica of the Holy Blood, built in 1428 as a replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Supposedly there is a preserved drop of the blood of Jesus Christ, brought back from the Crusades in Israel. For those interested in art, there is the Groeninge Museum, known for its collection of Flemish primitive paintings, and the Lace Museum, which displays the city’s most celebrated craft.
The people of Bruges have a dry sense of humor bordering on irreverence. One popular restaurant displays a version of Da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa to show where the toilet rolls are stored. Johannes Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring warns of unpleasant odors in their restroom…
A stone’s throw from the Market Square is Olivier’s Chocolate Shop and Bar, a must-visit for anyone wishing to purchase real homemade chocolates. The shop made handmade chocolate shooters for the birthday parties of Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood and Charlie Watts, and even had them sniff cocoa.
There are many fine breweries here due to the abundance of clean water; most offer tours and tastings in an industrial-chic taproom with canal views, but not all beer is the same. For an experience of a lifetime, go to the Halve Mann Brewery and try their Straffe Hendrik; it’s the first Belgian Quadruple beer ever made; it is rich, intensely dark and a full-bodied beer at 11 percent alcohol by volume (in other words, strong). It’s just like liquid velvet.
Brussels is only one hour away by train, so make time to visit. You will not be disappointed. But avoid Sundays, as almost everything is closed.
— The Captain
