The Compass Thing.
Per the 2002 Burning Man Theme, The Floating World, the Man's pedestal is a lighthouse, patterned in plan after a compass circle, and the Black Rock City layout is keyed to navigation. Imagine the event space on the Black Rock Desert playa to be a flattened hemisphere, with the concentric space around the Man graduated in feet, and radial compass bearings based on a full circle of 360°. 0°/360° extends northeast from the Man, which faces southwest. Radial streets are spaced similar to the previous clock layout (one-half hour = 15°).
- BRC center: 40° 45"17.162029' N, 119° 14"11.105358' W
(per 2000-2002 BLM permit docs)
- magnetic declination: 15° 35" E
- magnetic declination used for all practical purposes: 16° E
- magnetic north offset from BRC 0° line: 29 ° W
- pentagon outside radius: 6500 ft; inscribed radius: 5259 ft
- side length: 7641 ft; trash fence, including entry road: 12.9 miles
- pentagon corners (per BLM permit):
40° 44"16.037027' N, 119° 14"25.654737' W
40° 45"7.844786' N, 119° 15"31.495004' W
40° 46"14.137633' N, 119° 14"45.292642' W
40° 46"0.145847' N, 119° 13"12.925586' W
40° 44"47.25034' N, 119° 12"59.484942' W
- Great Circle heading, SF-BRC: 38 °
- BRC area: 2306 acres (3.6 sq miles); art installations: 950 acres; vehicle camping: 530 acres; walk-in camping: 250 acres
- Gate-Greeters entry road: 6000 ft; each branch Wye road: 1700 ft; Center Camp-Man: 2400 ft; DPW-Man: 4700 ft
- radius of Café: 110 ft; Center Camp: 250 ft; Ring Road: 500 ft
- driving time from DPW to Man at 5 mph: 11 minutes
Radial
Streets: | Width
(ft) | Compass
Orientation | Concentric
Streets: | Distance
from Man
(ft) | Width
(ft) | Block Length (15°)
(ft) | Arc of
One Degree
(ft) | Arc of
One Minute
(in.) |
| Promenade | (varies) | 45° | Esplanade | 2100 | 30 | 550 | 36.7 | 7-3/8 |
| 60° | 30 | 105° | Bowsprit | 2500 | 40 | 654 | 43.6 | 8-3/4 |
| 75° | 30 | 120° | Forecastle | 2700 | 30 | 707 | 47.1 | 9-1/2 |
| 90° | 30 | 135° | Mainmast | 2900 | 30 | 759 | 50.6 | 10-1/8 |
| 105° | 30 | 150° | Midships | 3100 | 30 | 812 | 54.1 | 10-7/8 |
| 120° | 30 | 165° | Mizzen | 3300 | 30 | 864 | 57.6 | 11-1/2 |
| 135° | 30 | 180° | Wheelhouse | 3500 | 30 | 916 | 61.1 | 12-1/4 |
| 150° | 30 | 195° | Fantail | 3700 | 30 | 969 | 64.6 | 12-7/8 |
| 165° | 40 | 210° | Abyss | 3900 | 40 | 1021 | 68.1 | 13-5/8 |
| 180° | 30 | 225° | | | | | | |
| 195° | 40 | 240° | | | | | | |
| 210° | 30 | 255° | | | | | | |
| 225° | 30 | 270° | | | | | | |
| 240° | 30 | 285° | | | | | | |
| 255° | 30 | 300° | | | | | | |
| 270° | 30 | 315° | | | | | | |
| 285° | 30 | 330° | | | | | | |
| 300° | 30 | 345° | | | | | | |
© Bob Stahl | Home