Big Delta (Alaska) - Tidbits, Odds-and-Ends

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy).

When in Big Delta, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Big Delta and the surrounding area.

Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Big Delta

Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Big Delta:
- 64.148765, -145.834115
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Big Delta

Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com

Curious and Interesting Names Near Big Delta ...

As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.

In the vicinity of Big Delta, Delta Junction is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<1> to the Southeast

How Far From Big Delta to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Big Delta to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Big Delta and extending to:

Juneau, which is the State Capital of Alaska, lies 552 miles [888.4 km]<1> to the southeast (SE). If you could drive a straight line from Big Delta to Juneau, with an average speed<2>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 32 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 22 days.
The White House (Washington, DC) is 3,213 miles [5,170.8 km] to the east (E). Driving would take 7 days, a buggy would take 126 days and walking would take 183 days.
The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,804 miles [9,340.6 km] and it lies to the north (N).<4>
The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,512 miles [10,480 km] and it lies to the north (N).<5>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,011 miles [8,064.4 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Big Delta. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Alaska: alaska.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>	Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Big Delta) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Delta. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 64.1488, Longitude: -145.8341
<2>	While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day.
<3>	The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Big Delta to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<4>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 0.914 degrees.
<5>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 5.283 degrees.
<6>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 343.226 degrees.