Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Helm, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Helm and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Helm
- 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 Helm:
- 38.511159, -88.708667
- 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 Helm
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Marion County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Marion County
- Since Helm is near Wayne County and also Jefferson County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Wayne County
- eBird sighting report for Jefferson County
- 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
Communities Also Named Helm ...
We found six communities that share the name Helm.
Within Illinois, the name Helm is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another six communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Utah
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Helm ...
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.
- Crisp
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast) - Divide
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Foxville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west) - Greathouse Ford
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greathouse Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greathouse Ford
- Greathouse Ford is located in Wayne County
- Harmony
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Hickory Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
- Hickory Hill is located in Marion County
- Orchardville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchardville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchardville
- Orchardville is located in Wayne County
- Pigeon ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Round Prairie
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Round Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Prairie
- Round Prairie is located in Wayne County
- Shields
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south) - Union Town
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Town
- Union Town is located in Marion County
How Far From Helm to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Helm to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Helm and extending to:
- Salem, which is the Seat of Marion County, lies 15 miles [24.1 km]<1> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Helm to Salem, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 101 miles [162.5 km] to the north northwest (NNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take three full days and walking would take 6 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 629 miles [1,012.3 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 25 days and walking would take 36 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,386 miles [10,277.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,117 miles [11,453.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,996 miles [8,040.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Helm. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Helm) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Helm. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5112, Longitude: -88.7087 In this case, the coordinates for Helm have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Helm to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 315.098 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.618 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 309.981 degrees. |