SLAC – Longest Linear Accelerator

SLAC

Looking down the hall of the 2 mile long straight building at Stanford’s linear accelerator. Straight, not level. The guide said if it was level it would follow the Earth’s curve and at 2 miles long it would then be about 12 inches off of straight at the end. This building was designed to be straight because a couple of stories below ground, under this support equipment that the building is housing, is a long tube that is designed to accelerate particles very near the speed of light. And those particles go straight. You don’t get too many opportunities to look down so perfect an example of a diminishing perspective through distance.

SLAC

This is the outside of the building, looking down the exact same stretch as seen in the inside photo above it. You can see highway 280 going over the linear accelerator as a bridge not too far ahead in the photo.

SLAC

Our tour guide took us to a newer building added down the end of the accelerator where x-rays generated by the accelerated particles are used for modern research. The accelerator was running throughout this whole visit, and does so through most hours of most days of the year. And so, behind the tour guide in the above photo, here a few stories under ground, x-rays are flying through the labs in a horizontal tube that I pointed out with the added blue arrow. These x-rays are used in the various experiments going on in the numerous rooms of SLAC.

There is something wonderful about humans working together on huge ambitious projects to advance our understanding of the universe. And it is pretty great to get to look at these projects and to consider what they do and how they do it.

SLAC

Coming back up to the surface, surrounded by California.

Flip Phone Pix

Here are some fun with a flip phone photos from in and around San Jose. These photos have no added filter effects; this is just how cell phone photos use to look. They are less than 2 megapixels and sometimes look a little like computer generated paintings and sometimes like incredibly detailed versions of foggy dreams.

Flip Phone Pics

Bathroom in downtown Santa Cruz food court.

Flip Phone Pics

Twin Lakes beach in Santa Cruz.

Flip Phone Pics

Cottonwood Lake in Hellyer County Park in San Jose.

Flip Phone Pics

A street sign in San Jose.

Flip Phone Pics

Bobblehead race at the A’s game in Oakland.

Flip Phone Pics

Bubbles in the air from a vendor at the Newark Days festival in Newark.

The Box on Mt. Umunhum

The Box on Mt. Umunhum
The Box on Mt. Umunhum

All cleaned up. Can not go inside still, but you can touch it now. It’s no longer behind all of the barrier fencing that had been up for quite a while. Same great views of the valley and a new paint job for the box.

San Jose view from above

Lick Observatory

From up on Mt. Hamilton, you can see a lot. Hard to see in my photo, I know. However, the left of the photo above shows San Jose and at right of middle shows San Francisco amongst much more. Its easier to see in person and so I highly recommend visiting. Drive safely and slowly as the road to the top is winding, includes many rocks and dirt patches, and is a favorite for impressive bicyclists to conquer.

Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory

South San Jose is in the right of this photo above and Monterey is in the center in the distance.

Lick Observatory

And when you are ready to go inside the Lick Observatory from atop Mt. Hamilton, you can see this gigantic telescope from 1888, among other modern telescopes at the observatory.