Reader: Close Encounters coordinates lead to Ault farm, not Denver International Airport

Jared Jacang Maher's post about coordinates from the movie Close Encounters allegedly pinpointing Denver International Airport -- the latest DIA conspiracy in a long line -- surmised that the numbers actually correspond to an Ault farmhouse. One of our readers did some checking, and he concurs -- and adds some...

By Michael Roberts

March 22, 2011

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Jared Jacang Maher's post about coordinates from the movie Close Encounters allegedly pinpointing Denver International Airport -- the latest DIA conspiracy in a long line -- surmised that the numbers actually correspond to an Ault farmhouse. One of our readers did some checking, and he concurs -- and adds some theories of his own.

Rain writes:

40 36' 10"N, 104 44' 30" W is located just north of Ault, Colorado. It's not DIA. The fact that Google Maps zooms in there sounds like an Easter Egg planted by some joker Google Map programmer to me, it has nothing to do with the actual latitude and longitude.

The easy check: 40 degrees N is the Kansas-Nebraska border. Baseline Road in Boulder County is also very close to 40 degrees North. DIA is south of that line, so 40 36' 10" can't be DIA.

What I can't figure out is why the movie uses the coordinates of Ault, CO instead of Devil's Tower. It's not like the lat/long of Devil's Tower is hard to find.

Maybe it's another Easter Egg? Maybe someone who worked on the movie has a grandma that lives in Ault or something?

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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