en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antares
1 correction found
In the whole of Antarctica, the star is circumpolar as the whole continent is above 64° S latitude.
This is incorrect: parts of Antarctica lie north of 64°S, so Antares is not circumpolar everywhere on the continent.
Full reasoning
The sentence is wrong for two separate reasons.
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Antarctica is not entirely south of 64°S. Argentina’s official page for its Antarctic bases places Base Esperanza on the Antarctic Peninsula at 63°24′S, which is north of 64°S. That alone disproves the statement that “the whole continent is above 64° S latitude.”
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Antares is therefore not circumpolar everywhere in Antarctica. SIMBAD lists Antares at declination −26°25′55.2094″. In the southern hemisphere, a star is circumpolar only if the observer is far enough south that the absolute values of latitude and declination sum to more than 90°. At Base Esperanza (63°24′S), the sum is about 89°50′, which is less than 90°. So from at least that Antarctic location, Antares must rise and set rather than remain permanently above the horizon.
So the article’s blanket claim about the whole of Antarctica is false.
2 sources
- Antares | SIMBAD astronomical database
ICRS coord. (ep=J2000): 16 29 24.45970 -26 25 55.2094
- Conoce nuestras Bases | Argentina.gob.ar
Base Esperanza Latitud 63º 24' S y Longitud 57º 00' W... Ubicada en el extremo norte de la Península Trinidad