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The success and popularity of Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is due to its unique and ideal location for ballooning, which is known as "Albuquerque box." Ascending a hot balloon requires cool air surrounding the balloon so that the hot air could push the balloon up. In October morning temperatures are cool in Albuquerque, which is conducive to ballooning. In addition, at the low elevations of Albuquerque box usually the winds come from the south, but at the higher elevations they tend to come from the north. Balloonists utilize these wind patterns to navigate in a vertical box. They ascend from the launch site to move towards south. At some point the wind pushes them back to the opposite direction. Near the ground the path changes to the other way. As a result, they are able to land on a location near the launch site.

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