Local Date

4 January 2025

Local Time

10:47

Location

Bel Air, California

Country or Territory

United States

Name

Steve Engelmann

Satellite

NOAA-18

Archive ID

ow966

Today I thought I would visit LA's Getty Center. They are coordinating a project called PST:ART which includes over 70 exhibitions throughout southern California with a focus on how art and science collide. The Getty Center also has an amazing outdoor area with spectacular views of Los Angeles. What a great place to also grab a satellite pass - I thought. When security took a look at the disassembled antenna I was bringing along, they had second thoughts. I wasn't able to convince security, or her supervisor, that my intentions were harmless. But I've learned to be flexible. On the spot I hatched a plan B. With 20 minutes to go, I used my speed-walking skills to relocate on an overpass where Sunset Blvd crosses the 405 freeway. On the first image you can see the Getty Center in the background perched on a hillside. The view was a step down from the Getty, but also, not bad. I'm sure there were many suspicious looks from the busy street with a strange man pointing an antenna at the sky. Then again, this is a stone's throw away from Hollywood. At a little over 8 minutes in, a commuter bus blocked by reception for two seconds. A line of static documents the interference. Life throws us many curveballs. The next four years should be no different.

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