A cache representing the planet Mercury, located approximately 0.77 miles from the Vgr2 - Sun cache in Concord, CA.
Why op2? op2 stands for "orbital postition 2". The original Vgr2 - Mercury has been archived. The coordinate code letter for Vgr2 - Mercury op2 remains the same so that anyone still working on the Voyager 2 bonus caches can do so without having to make an extra trip to find this one.
Mercury composite image taken by MESSENGER
This is the 2nd cache in a series that creates the model of the Solar System with objects along the I-680, I-80, I-505, I-5 route that would be taken if heading for the Oregon border. All caches are within 3 miles (as the crow flies) of that route. See Additional Waypoints for Parking and Trailhead Coordinates. Open hours are 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
The Sun for the Vgr2 Solar System Model is located near the center of Concord in a triangle bounded by I-680, CA-4, and CA-242 and is named Vgr2 - Sun. Objects are placed at a distance from Vgr2 - Sun relative to their average orbital distance (+/- 5%). The scale used is 2 miles for every Astronomical Unit. An Astronomical Unit is the average distance between the Sun and the Earth. With this scale, Neptune, the farthest planet, is in the range of 59.5 to 60.9 miles distant. Eris, the farthest dwarf planet, is in the range of 128.6 to 142.1 miles distant. Sorry folks, Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet and is in the range of 75.0 to 82.9 miles distant.
The cache log sheet contains a number associated with the coordinate code letter "q". You should record this number. In case the log sheet is destroyed, the same value is written on the inside lid of the container and the upper inside edge of the container. If you find all 15 object caches (the sun, the 8 planets, the 5 dwarf planets, and the asteroid belt), this number will help you find the Voyager 2 bonus caches
The container itself is a small camoed cylinder.
Please consider visiting the other caches in the Vgr2 Solar System Model. This link will take you to a list of the Vgr2 caches. You may also pick from the table below.
If you do your homework, it is possible to do this entire series in three (long) days. The total round trip from the Vgr2 - Sun cache to the Voyager 2 bonus caches is some where between 1,100 - 1,300 miles, depending how often you double back to for missed exists, find other caches, etc.
For more information on Mercury, visit its Wikipedia description.
For more information on the Solar System, visit its Wikipedia description.
The idea was inspired by TeamJiffy's great series I finished at the end of 2008; Northern CA Solar System Model: Comet Halley
Congratulations to "??????????" on the First to Find (FTF).