Equator

[Saket]

How close one has to be to the equator to start having problems with observations and AP?

[Merlin66]

i don't think there are major problems observing at the equator.

There are many successful observers around Singapore.....

I think your question is directed to setting up an equatorial at low latitudes.....a modified tripod/ pier will get the elevation down to zero.

 

[Saket]

11 minutes ago, Merlin66 said:

i don't think there are major problems observing at the equator.

There are many successful observers around Singapore.....

I think your question is directed to setting up an equatorial at low latitudes.....a modified tripod/ pier will get the elevation down to zero.

 

My Latitude is about 19°.

I came across some people saying observing near Equator is difficult hence I wanted to know why and what is the limit.

[brantuk]

You can look up into the sky at any point in the world - it's not "observing" which is the problem. The problem is what you want to see - if you're looking for the LMC, SMC, or Southern Cross, but you're standing in the northern hemisphere, then it's just not gonna happen.

Viewing near the equator however, allows you to see a fair spread of objects in both the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere. It would be interesting to know exactly what difficulty your friends were having near the equator....

[TareqPhoto]

Good that i am not at Equator, but we aren't that much far, i think we are the next line, the Cancer one, and it is worse than Equator to me because it is dry and hot and high humid more than Equator, while in Equator even it should be hottest but due to the Earth's inclination and rotation i think they don't get that much heat and humidity like us, they get rains so much which kills or calming down the heat and dry weather, no winder why they have forests and green while we don't have at all.

And about observing, i think we are in good location geographically, i mean Lat is about 25 and Long is 55, not that bad, i can see most objects during the year, summer or winter, Jupiter is clear, moon is clear, sun is very very very very clear :-) and even Saturn is visible more often, yesterday i was able to see Saturn high in the sky.

I will ask later somewhere -either here or another sites- about scopes for observing, i want one for planetary visual only, if it can do imaging of planets then fine, but i will focus on observing or visual, and i don't know if it is difficult for Equator people to observe or not, they can find a way always.

[ollypenrice]

I can think of no difficulty associated with the equator other than that you will find it very hard to see either the Pole Sar in the north or the Southern Cross in the south, so quick polar alignment of an equatorial mount using a polar scope won't be possible. The celestial poles will be too low for observation, I guess. The obects on view will change quickly during the night. At the poles they don't change at all. Sunset and sunrise also happen fast because the ecliptic is never far from vertical.

My own adventures in astronomy began close to the equator in Ecuador. The skies were wonderful.

Olly

[noah4x4]

I once lay on my back looking skyward for three hours in a tiny motor boat (chasing after our bigger boat) after needing hospital treatment in the Galapagos. The Equator skies were just awesome.  Was worth the pain of a shoulder dislocation for the unexpected privilege. Utterly pitch black, unlike the garish string of Xmas lights on the main boat. Surely, THE best skies in the World?