Fenris Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 I'm going to GC in November this year and wanted to bring my mount and camera, but I'll be living on the south side of the island. Is it even possible to see Polaris from there? We're trying to find a hotel/apartment with a bit of elevation, but there are mountains several thousand feet high in the north and the small hotels in the mountains are too expensive/fully booked. I'll be going on the trip with Gauthier (he's mentioned in another thread in here) and possibly one by AstroEduca. I'd still want to do some imaging on my own, though, but not sure if it's any point bringing the equipment if I can't see Polaris from where we'll be living. I doubt I'll get my bf to come along into the mountains several nights :-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRT Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 Polaris sits at about 27 degrees elevation from GC. According to the island's WiKi page it is almost circular with a diameter of 50km and the highest point (near the centre) is just shy of 2km, so quite a gentle slope rather than a very close high wall of rock. Someone better at maths than I am can work out the degree of elevation against the background sky that the summit sits at. My guess is that Polaris will be visible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted April 16, 2017 Author Share Posted April 16, 2017 3 hours ago, DRT said: Polaris sits at about 27 degrees elevation from GC. According to the island's WiKi page it is almost circular with a diameter of 50km and the highest point (near the centre) is just shy of 2km, so quite a gentle slope rather than a very close high wall of rock. Someone better at maths than I am can work out the degree of elevation against the background sky that the summit sits at. My guess is that Polaris will be visible Heh, Yeah someone better at math than me too :-P I think it should be visible based on what I see in Stellarium, but I will definitely need to find a new way to actually find Polaris in the sky since Big Dipper will be below the horizon a big part of the night ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Drew Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 "Little Dipper" shape is almost identical so shouldn't be difficult to spot though maybe not helped by the greater number of stars that should be visible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark at Beaufort Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 The position of Polaris is nearly the same as your Latitude on the Earth. So with Gran Canaria at a Latitude of 27 degrees the altitude will be roughly that amount. So you will see Polaris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverAstro Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 6 hours ago, DRT said: work out the degree of elevation against the background sky that the summit sits at. An interesting little problem It is a long time since I had to exercise my maths brain cells so this comes with no warranty whatsoever -- I get 4.6deg elevation ( of the 2km summit from the coast 25km away) which doesnt sound a lot so I may be wrong ! but not enough to obscure Polaris This is what I did :- arctan (2/25) = 4.6 anyone see a flaw ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted April 16, 2017 Author Share Posted April 16, 2017 When I toggle between home and GC in Stellarium, based on coordinates from findlatitudeandlongitude.com it looks like Polaris is roughly at half as high above the horizon of GC than at home in Norway. But that's still pretty high, so if I find a hotel a ways up in the hillsides with good view I think maybe I'll manage to get polar alignment even from the room! If I see it. And find it if I see it... Big Dipper isn't above the horizon until early in the morning, around 4-5 am so need to find another way to see it ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondus Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 Polaris is visible from Puerto Rico (Southern GC) unless Your Hotel is on the hillside facing South/East. Unfortunately : Theres alot of LP in the central areas (Puerto Rico, Arguineguin). Rune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted April 16, 2017 Author Share Posted April 16, 2017 1 minute ago, Pondus said: Polaris is visible from Puerto Rico (Southern GC) unless Your Hotel is on the hillside facing South/East. Unfortunately : Theres alot of LP in the central areas (Puerto Rico, Arguineguin). Rune That's great! I've been in Puerto Rico a couple of times but that was before I got into AP so I didn't really notice the stars other than that they were there :-P. Then I know where to look for hotels. I'm guessing it will be visible from Maspalomas too, less steep hills there as far as I can tell. LP I'm expecting, so perhaps a hotel a bit high in Puerto Rico will help. Probably not a lot, but I'll take what I can get ;-) And there are car rentals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark at Beaufort Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 Fenris here is another option - https://www.astrogc.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted April 16, 2017 Author Share Posted April 16, 2017 30 minutes ago, Mark at Beaufort said: Fenris here is another option - https://www.astrogc.com/ Thanks for the tip :-) I already sent him a mail, but he hasn't answered yet. I'll go with him and AstroEduca, I think they have some observatories too, but their website isn't too clear on actual tourist-stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark at Beaufort Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 30 minutes ago, Fenris said: Thanks for the tip :-) I already sent him a mail, but he hasn't answered yet. I'll go with him and AstroEduca, I think they have some observatories too, but their website isn't too clear on actual tourist-stuff. Fenris let me know how you get on with astrogc.com because I am thinking of going with him in 2018. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie alert Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 9 hours ago, Fenris said: I'm going to GC in November this year and wanted to bring my mount and camera, but I'll be living on the south side of the island. Is it even possible to see Polaris from there? We're trying to find a hotel/apartment with a bit of elevation, but there are mountains several thousand feet high in the north and the small hotels in the mountains are too expensive/fully booked. I'll be going on the trip with Gauthier (he's mentioned in another thread in here) and possibly one by AstroEduca. I'd still want to do some imaging on my own, though, but not sure if it's any point bringing the equipment if I can't see Polaris from where we'll be living. I doubt I'll get my bf to come along into the mountains several nights :-P Is that Gauthier from Astro tours GC.. If you haven't done it before he's a superb guide..very passionate about astro..when I did it last year he had 2 16 inch dobs setup, and showed us several targets..views were amazing.. skies were too.. What part of gran canaria are you staying? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRT Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 4 hours ago, SilverAstro said: An interesting little problem It is a long time since I had to exercise my maths brain cells so this comes with no warranty whatsoever -- I get 4.6deg elevation ( of the 2km summit from the coast 25km away) which doesnt sound a lot so I may be wrong ! but not enough to obscure Polaris This is what I did :- arctan (2/25) = 4.6 anyone see a flaw ? I got to that answer too but it seemed too low to be the right answer. Thinking it through it is the right answer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie alert Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 4 minutes ago, newbie alert said: Is that Gauthier from Astro tours GC.. If you haven't done it before he's a superb guide..very passionate about astro..when I did it last year he had 2 16 inch dobs setup, and showed us several targets..views were amazing.. skies were too.. What part of gran canaria are you staying? Now ive read through all the comments.. Although I can't remember seeing Polaris ,I remember Cassiopeia.. compared to the UK everything else seemed so much more higher up...at the time Jupiter in the UK was on the horizon back in the UK early eve..in gran canaria it was a lot higher up.. I'm going again july/August and hope to do the astro tours GC again.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neural Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Intuitively it does seem a bit low, but yes it is correct. Whether you can actually see it or not depends on local obstacles of course... diagram.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted April 17, 2017 Author Share Posted April 17, 2017 As far as I understand, the 4.6 would be degrees above the horizon, right? That's probably obvious, but I suck at math so I just want to be sure. On 4/16/2017 at 19:54, Mark at Beaufort said: Fenris let me know how you get on with astrogc.com because I am thinking of going with him in 2018. I'll let you know how it goes. The weather is a bit iffy in, but I'm counting on at least a couple of clear nights. On 4/16/2017 at 20:16, newbie alert said: Is that Gauthier from Astro tours GC.. If you haven't done it before he's a superb guide..very passionate about astro..when I did it last year he had 2 16 inch dobs setup, and showed us several targets..views were amazing.. skies were too.. What part of gran canaria are you staying? I'm hoping for at least one tour with Gauthier, he has really good reviews! Did he allow any AP on his scopes when you were there? I'm thinking if there's few participants, then maybe? If not I'll bring my own and get some pics with just regular camera (I won't bring my scope I think). I have no idea where we'll be staying yet. I'm thinking maybe Mogan, less lights but steeper mountains, soooo... But almost for certain on the south side of the island anyway. 12 hours ago, neural said: Intuitively it does seem a bit low, but yes it is correct. Whether you can actually see it or not depends on local obstacles of course... diagram.pdf I'm hoping for somewhere high up in the sides and maybe even a roof terrace ;-) W'e won't be going a lot to the beach so at least closeness to sea is no issue for either of us :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerMe Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Jupiter is rising to a greatest elevation of 29° from my position at 56°N at the moment, and it is really quite high in the sky at that point, deceptively so. My guess is that Polaris will be easily visible at 27° as long as you have a fairly clear view north, although the Plough/Big Dipper won't be visible til late at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartJPP Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 I have imaged quite a few times from Fuerteventura at sea level and always facing out to sea to avoid LP. Polaris is, as mentioned, about 28 degrees in the sky which is still quite high and is visible but can be in quite a bit of murk depending on the local LP. And as you mention, and what can throw you is that Ursa Major can be well below the horizon depending on the time of year/night so if you rely on that to find Polaris you can struggle, but it is the brightest star opposite Cassiopeia and some other constellation will be recognisable so it isn't too taxing. Regarding Jupiter being higher up...well that is because it was probably in the south at the time and hence it will be higher in the night sky than objects that are in the north..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted April 17, 2017 Author Share Posted April 17, 2017 3 minutes ago, BeerMe said: Jupiter is rising to a greatest elevation of 29° from my position at 56°N at the moment, and it is really quite high in the sky at that point, deceptively so. My guess is that Polaris will be easily visible at 27° as long as you have a fairly clear view north, although the Plough/Big Dipper won't be visible til late at night. It sounds promising :-) I've already started practicing other ways to find Polaris, like with Ursa Minor that should be visible earlier in the night. It would be annoying if i get good view but then can't find the damn star!! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted April 17, 2017 Author Share Posted April 17, 2017 6 minutes ago, StuartJPP said: I have imaged quite a few times from Fuerteventura at sea level and always facing out to sea to avoid LP. Polaris is, as mentioned, about 28 degrees in the sky which is still quite high and is visible but can be in quite a bit of murk depending on the local LP. And as you mention, and what can throw you is that Ursa Major can be well below the horizon depending on the time of year/night so if you rely on that to find Polaris you can struggle, but it is the brightest star opposite Cassiopeia and some other constellation will be recognisable so it isn't too taxing. Regarding Jupiter being higher up...well that is because it was probably in the south at the time and hence it will be higher in the night sky than objects that are in the north..... How was the mist at sea-level? I was on Malta last year and I could barely even see the brightest stars right above. Hopeless! I would think it's not that bad in the Atlantic, but still? I usually use Ursa Major to find Polaris, but practice makes perfect (though I'm far from it yet) but I think I'll be able to find it without U. Major. I just need to get used to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerMe Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 16 minutes ago, StuartJPP said: Regarding Jupiter being higher up...well that is because it was probably in the south at the time and hence it will be higher in the night sky than objects that are in the north..... Yes, that is the altitude at the meridian. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but why would something that is 29° in the South be significantly higher than something that is 27°N? You made it sound as if objects on the southern horizon appear higher than they are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartJPP Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 4 minutes ago, Fenris said: How was the mist at sea-level? I was on Malta last year and I could barely even see the brightest stars right above. Hopeless! I would think it's not that bad in the Atlantic, but still? I usually use Ursa Major to find Polaris, but practice makes perfect (though I'm far from it yet) but I think I'll be able to find it without U. Major. I just need to get used to it. The mist has never really been a problem because there is generally always a breeze in Fuerteventura but the cloud has been an issue, probably 50% success. Being at sea level you are at the mercy of all cloud, would be great to be above the cloud line. 2 minutes ago, BeerMe said: Yes, that is the altitude at the meridian. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but why would something that is 29° in the South be significantly higher than something that is 27°N? You made it sound as if objects on the southern horizon appear higher than they are? No such thing as a dumb question....but probably my attempt at explaining it will be dumb... Comparing two latitudes with similar longitudes on the same date: if an object is lower in the sky in the north at one latitude then an object in the south has to be higher in the sky? Think of a see-saw. This is why objects like Antares are higher in the sky the further south you go. Planets follow the ecliptic plane which is basically in the south for us (E-S-W) so would appear higher in the night sky the further south you go. Try it in Stellarium by changing the location from UK to Canary Islands and see the difference in objects in the north vs. the south. Look at the Az/Alt coordinates (specifically Alt), it will give you an indication of how high the object appears in the sky. You can turn on the ecliptic plane by pressing ',' (comma). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie alert Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 The only problem you might find locating Polaris is there's so many stars that you get lost.. Do take your camera..if only for the milky way..it was a proper silver veil last year..hoping it's the same this year as didn't take my camera last time.. Gauthier uses dobsonians so maybe afocal snap with a mobile.. Enjoy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRT Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 Taking a camera might be a good way of finding Polaris. Point it generally north and take a long exposure - Polaris will be the one that doesn't move Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.