UKTV Documentary
Equator
With its unique blend of travelogue and current affairs, Equator allows author and broadcaster, Simon Reeve to examine a wide range of social and political issues.
Just the facts
Everybody knows about the imaginary line on the Earth's surface that lies equidistant from the North Pole and the South Pole, but what else do you know about it? Here are some lesser-known facts - not to mention a few myths - about the equator.
Centre of the Earth
The equator is just under 25,000 miles in length. Because the Earth bulges at the centre the equator is the longest of our planet's five main circles of latitude, each one based on the relationship between the Earth's axis of rotation and the Earth's orbit around the sun.
The other four are the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, and the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Astrologers have also identified an imaginary circle in the heavens, obtained when the Earth's equator is projected into the night sky. This is known as the celestial equator.
The Tropic of Capricorn lies at 23.5 degrees south of the equator and runs through Australia, Chile, northern South Africa and southern Brazil, which is the only country that passes through both the equator and a tropic!
Night and Day
The equator itself crosses the land or territorial waters of 14 countries, including Uganda, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya and Brazil. If you live on the equator you will experience the quickest rates of sunrise and sunset in the world, taking a matter of minutes.
These places also have a constant twelve hours of day and night throughout the year, while north or south of the equator day length increasingly varies with the seasons. In its seasonal movement through the sky, the Sun itself passes directly over the equator only twice each year, on the March and September equinoxes.
Biodiversity
In what might seem to be a contradictory pair of facts, the parts of the Earth that lie on the equator mark both the area with the world's greatest concentration of natural biodiversity and also human poverty.
It is also the case that almost half the world's rainforests are concentrated on the equator in just three countries. They can be found in Brazil, Congo and Indonesia.
Seasonal variations
It is mistakenly believed by many that the weather on the equator stays the same but this simply is not true. While tropical areas along the equator can experience wet and dry seasons, other regions may well be wet for much of the year.
Similarly many people believe that the equator will always be the hottest place on the planet. While on the whole, temperatures at the equator are very high, there is one single point on the equator where you’ll find snow. The highest point on the equator is 4,690 m, on the south slopes of Volcán Cayambe in Ecuador so in theory you could go skiing on the equator if you fancy it!
Down the Drain
It has always been said that water disappearing down the plug-hole spirals down in different directions depending on which hemisphere you are in. This is in fact a myth, based on the effects of Coriolis, a term that refers to when the rotating earth causes the winds to deflect to the right in the northern hemisphere and the left south of the equator.
While this is a fact of nature, the effect Coriolis has on water going down sinks, whatever distance from the equator, is minimal. The truth of the matter is that water tends to flow down the plug-hole in the direction it is introduced into a sink!
Flip the Moon
Another common belief is that that the moon always appears to flip upside down once you cross the equator. While this is not exactly a myth, it is not generally the case. True enough, there are many cases where the moon does flip over, but it’s more an exception than a rule.
If you want to see clear situations where the moon does turn upside down, you just have to watch long enough during a day, and you will generally see an exact upside down for a short while. However it seems over time that this phenomenon has slowly been misunderstood as concrete fact. Simply put, the moon can appear to flip upside down, but not very often and certainly not only at the equator.
“Crossing the Line”
There exists a seafaring tradition that all sailors who cross the equator during a sea voyage must elaborate rituals initiating them into what is known as The Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep.
This rite of passage dates back to at least the Middle Ages, although some aspects may have Viking origins. Those who have never "crossed the line" are referred to as "pollywogs" and are required to undertake various initiation rituals performed by those members of the crew who have made the journey before in order to pay respect to King Neptue of the Deep. Upon completion of the initiation ceremony, the “pollywogs” are then known as "trusty Shellbacks".
Everybody knows about the imaginary line on the Earth's surface that lies equidistant from the North Pole and the South Pole, but what else do you know about it? Here are some lesser-known facts - not to mention a few myths - about the equator.
Centre of the Earth
The equator is just under 25,000 miles in length. Because the Earth bulges at the centre the equator is the longest of our planet's five main circles of latitude, each one based on the relationship between the Earth's axis of rotation and the Earth's orbit around the sun.
The other four are the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, and the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Astrologers have also identified an imaginary circle in the heavens, obtained when the Earth's equator is projected into the night sky. This is known as the celestial equator.
Life in the Tropics
By definition the latitude of the Earth’s equator is 0 degrees, while the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn each lie at 23.5 degrees latitude. The Tropic of Cancer is located at 23.5 degrees north of the equator and runs through Mexico, the Bahamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and southern China.The Tropic of Capricorn lies at 23.5 degrees south of the equator and runs through Australia, Chile, northern South Africa and southern Brazil, which is the only country that passes through both the equator and a tropic!
Night and Day
The equator itself crosses the land or territorial waters of 14 countries, including Uganda, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya and Brazil. If you live on the equator you will experience the quickest rates of sunrise and sunset in the world, taking a matter of minutes.
These places also have a constant twelve hours of day and night throughout the year, while north or south of the equator day length increasingly varies with the seasons. In its seasonal movement through the sky, the Sun itself passes directly over the equator only twice each year, on the March and September equinoxes.
Biodiversity
In what might seem to be a contradictory pair of facts, the parts of the Earth that lie on the equator mark both the area with the world's greatest concentration of natural biodiversity and also human poverty.
It is also the case that almost half the world's rainforests are concentrated on the equator in just three countries. They can be found in Brazil, Congo and Indonesia.
Seasonal variations
It is mistakenly believed by many that the weather on the equator stays the same but this simply is not true. While tropical areas along the equator can experience wet and dry seasons, other regions may well be wet for much of the year.
Similarly many people believe that the equator will always be the hottest place on the planet. While on the whole, temperatures at the equator are very high, there is one single point on the equator where you’ll find snow. The highest point on the equator is 4,690 m, on the south slopes of Volcán Cayambe in Ecuador so in theory you could go skiing on the equator if you fancy it!
Down the Drain
It has always been said that water disappearing down the plug-hole spirals down in different directions depending on which hemisphere you are in. This is in fact a myth, based on the effects of Coriolis, a term that refers to when the rotating earth causes the winds to deflect to the right in the northern hemisphere and the left south of the equator.
While this is a fact of nature, the effect Coriolis has on water going down sinks, whatever distance from the equator, is minimal. The truth of the matter is that water tends to flow down the plug-hole in the direction it is introduced into a sink!
Flip the Moon
Another common belief is that that the moon always appears to flip upside down once you cross the equator. While this is not exactly a myth, it is not generally the case. True enough, there are many cases where the moon does flip over, but it’s more an exception than a rule.
If you want to see clear situations where the moon does turn upside down, you just have to watch long enough during a day, and you will generally see an exact upside down for a short while. However it seems over time that this phenomenon has slowly been misunderstood as concrete fact. Simply put, the moon can appear to flip upside down, but not very often and certainly not only at the equator.
“Crossing the Line”
There exists a seafaring tradition that all sailors who cross the equator during a sea voyage must elaborate rituals initiating them into what is known as The Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep.
This rite of passage dates back to at least the Middle Ages, although some aspects may have Viking origins. Those who have never "crossed the line" are referred to as "pollywogs" and are required to undertake various initiation rituals performed by those members of the crew who have made the journey before in order to pay respect to King Neptue of the Deep. Upon completion of the initiation ceremony, the “pollywogs” are then known as "trusty Shellbacks".
When is it on?
- Equator is next on at 10.00am on Monday 21st July on UKTV Documentary
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