Mystical Horizons facts for kids
Mystical Horizons is a special place in North Dakota that celebrates space and astronomy. It's located near Carbury, North Dakota, close to the border with Manitoba, Canada. This amazing site features a working solar calendar made from huge granite pillars. It's designed to be like a modern-day Stonehenge, helping us understand the movements of the sun and stars. You can also find other cool tools here that explain how the universe works!
Contents
Discovering Mystical Horizons
Mystical Horizons was built to bring the wonders of space closer to everyone. It's a place where you can learn about the sky above us in a fun, hands-on way.
The Vision Behind the Stars
The idea for Mystical Horizons came from a man named Jack Olson. He was an amazing aerospace engineer and designer who dreamed of creating a "Century 21 Stonehenge." Sadly, Jack passed away in 2001 before his dream could be built. But his community didn't give up! People worked together and raised money to make his vision come true. With help from groups like the North Dakota Forest Service and the city of Bottineau, Mystical Horizons officially opened its doors on October 21, 2005.
What You Can Explore
Mystical Horizons has several cool parts designed to help you connect with the cosmos:
- Solar Calendar: Imagine six tall walls with special slots. On important days like the winter and summer solstices (the longest and shortest days of the year) and the spring and autumn equinoxes (when day and night are equal), sunlight shines directly through these slots. It's a fantastic way to see how the Earth moves around the sun!
- Polaris Sighting Tube: This is a fixed tube that points directly to Polaris, also known as the North Star. It's a great way to learn how to find this important star in the night sky.
- Human-Sized Sundial: You can stand on this giant sundial and use your own shadow to tell the time! It's a fun and ancient way to understand how the sun's position changes throughout the day.
Each of these instruments has signs nearby that explain how to use them and the science behind them. Plus, from the site, you get an amazing view of the Turtle Mountains and the beautiful valley around them.
Meet the Dreamer: Jack Olson
John "Jack" Olson was a brilliant aerospace engineer and inventor. He was born on a farm near Bottineau, North Dakota, on October 24, 1922.
Jack's Amazing Career
Jack served in the Army Air Forces during World War II, teaching pilots how to fly B-24 planes. After the war, he became a chief designer at Brown & Bigelow, where he earned 120 patents for his inventions! He even designed a fun party favor called "the pickle plucker."
From 1958 to 1984, Jack worked for Boeing, a famous aerospace company. He helped create exciting projects like the Boeing Jetfoil (a super-fast boat) and the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system (a unique transportation system). Most impressively, he was part of the team that designed the landing pads for the Apollo Lunar Module – the spacecraft that landed astronauts on the Moon!
Jack was also a talented artist who created illustrations of space exploration. Twenty-one of his space paintings were even shown at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum! He was also a skilled glider pilot and a certified master photographer.
A Legacy in the Turtle Mountains
After retiring, Jack spent time in Bottineau, working on community projects like Mystical Horizons. He also wrote a book about his childhood in the Turtle Mountains, which was published after he passed away in 2009. Jack Olson died on August 28, 2001, but his vision lives on at Mystical Horizons, inspiring visitors to look up at the stars.
