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How do you calculate whether a star is visible for a given latitude or not?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
The basic rule of thumb is that if your latitude and the star's declination are less than 75 degrees apart, the star will be visible for at least part of the year.
Why 75 degrees and not 90 degrees? Well, on a theoretical spherical world without any atmospheric distortions, that would be correct. But the Earth isn't spherical; it has these bumps called "mountains", and a thick atmosphere that obscures low-elevation stars, and it can be worse if there is any light pollution on the horizon. (This is one of the reasons why astronomical observatories are generally built on mountain tops away from city lights.) Against a dark sky and a sea horizon, you would probably be safe calculating to an 85 degree difference, but only if it were a bright star.
I live near Sacramento, CA, at about 38N. So any star in the northern half of the sky is certainly visible. Going by my 75 degree rule, I ought to be able to see stars that are as far south as 37S declination, which you can look up in the Nautical Almanac or online. (See the link below, and look for the "Stars" column in the center column for declinations.)
So, I ought to be able to see the star Fomalhaut at 29.S, but not Alpha Centauri at 61S. However, from my house I would not be able to see Fomalhaut - because the city lights and tall trees to the south would probably block my view. If I really wanted to see Fomalhaut, I'd need to drive down into the farmlands south of town where I would have an unobstructed view.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
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