Monday, April 28, 2003 - 7:15 p.m.
Equatorial Astronomy
I've mentioned before about looking at the constellations down here in Ecuador and since then I've discovered a lot more interesting celestial things. For one thing, after confirming it with a pair of binoculars, I realized that the moon is *sideways*. When I was in Australia, I was really impressed with the discovery that the moon is upside-down to how we view it in the northern hemisphere. So, I guess it makes sense that the lunar satellite would be seen from a different perspective at the equator as well. As it is, the man on the moon is 90 degrees to the left (I wondered why the left and not the right? Did this mean that people in Indonesia view it to the right?).
My answer came about a month later when I was visiting my friend and fellow teacher Judy who bought a house with her cousin in the countryside of Ecuador. Only an hour and 20 minutes away on bus from downtown Cuenca, the house in La Union is the perfect weekend getaway. It is a very picturesque and peaceful place, and Judy and Carol are excellent hosts. They are considering opening it up as a bed and breakfast to fellow travelers in the future.
During one of our relaxing "tea times" astronomy came up in the conversation and I shared with my friends and fellow teachers about the fact that the moon is 90 degrees to the left here at the equator. In true Science Center fashion we did an experiment that was highly entertaining as well as informative. It had a lot of elements from a Science on Wheels lesson about the moon that I'd taught many times in the past. Here is Judy's description of our experiment...
"..we first picked up one of our oranges and drew the equator around it. We stabbed a pencil in it and that became someone in Ecuador standing upright looking at the moon. Then we took a lime and drew the face of the Man on the Moon on it. For awhile the napkin basket served as the sun, but we later replaced that with a flashlight in order to get the rays of the sun.
"Karen had the sun and held it still. I had the earth and...Carole had the moon with the face of the Man on the Moon drawn on it. By moving the lime around the orange and tilting our heads, we discovered that it was absolutely true that people in the Northern Hemisphere would see the Man on the Moon straight up, however our pencil representing a person in Ecuador would see the face on the moon slanted...to the east.
"We wondered if people on the equator all over the world saw the moon on its side. So, we went to the opposite side of the orange and stabbed a pencil there and called it a person living in Kenya. We discovered that the person in Kenya would also see the face on the moon on its side but it would be slanting the opposite direction from the Ecuadorian image."
In addition, since my time at Judy's I have also (finally) seen the Southern Cross and have confirmed that (big surprise) it is in the south. I first saw the constellation a number of years ago in Honduras, so I knew that it must be visible here in Ecuador as well (Ironically enough, I never saw it when I was in Australia). However, it was first pointed out to me when I was at Lake Quilotoa and my sense of direction was a little skewed. But I saw it again the second time I visited Judy's place in La Union and it was indeed in the south. I was also thrilled to see the Milky Way spanning the sky, as well as Sagittarius directly above me at the zenith (in Seattle it is always near the horizon). I had also been curious to know if the Big Dipper was visible at this latitude and I first found it on one of the many long night bus rides from Quito. It is interesting to me that this constellation is always "upside down" with the cup pointed down towards the earth. Therefore (big surprise), the North star cannot be seen here, as it is always below the horizon. Whenever I see the stars here I always wish I knew the southern constellations. It is a strange feeling for me to look up in the sky and see a conglomeration of stars that I don't recognize.
On a side note, while at Judy's the question about what direction the water drains was also brought up. I had to say I had my doubts about whether this is in fact a true phenomenon or a myth, since I had never seen any convincing evidence when I was down in Australia. However, thanks to my friend Zeta from the Science Center, I now know that the "Coriolis effect" (that water drains in a clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere, and in a counterclockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere) is indeed true. This explains why hurricanes apparently rotate in a different direction depending on what hemisphere they're in. However, when it comes to witnessing this phenomenon in your own sink or toilet, it is insignificant and disappointing due to the fact that it is on too small a scale to be seen and also the water can drain in many different directions depending on erroneous factors such as the shape of the bowl and what direction the water was poured in in the first place.
Anyways, it just goes to show that it's a good thing never to stop wondering, asking questions and pondering upon our glorious skies!
