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Same Milky Way but not Seeing the Same
People around the world can observe parts of the Milky Way. But the question is “How are the Milky Way observed from different places similar or different?”
Of course, the center of the Milky Way is far away. And location on the surface of the earth does not affect what we see. That is, everyone on Earth sees the same center of the Milky Way. But one thing that each observer will see is different. That is the horizon beneath our feet.
If we imagine that all the stars in the sky are on one large sphere that covers us, called the celestial sphere. We are all under the same celestial sphere, but at some point in time we will be able to observe only half of the celestial sphere. because the other half will be obscured by the horizon The position of the celestial sphere that is obscured will change depending on the position on the world of the observer
An observer in the northern hemisphere There are some stars in the southern hemisphere that are obscured by the horizon. How far to the north latitude The less southern stars are observed. An observer located directly at the North Pole will not be able to see stars in the southern hemisphere at all.
We can see the effects of this horizon. from these three images You can see that these three images are arranged so that the three parts of the Milky Way are the same. And these three images were taken when the Milky Way was exactly perpendicular to the horizon. But since the three images were recorded from different latitudes We therefore see that the part of the Milky Way that is obscured by the horizon different
the center of our Milky Way It has a position on the celestial sphere that tends to the southern hemisphere. As a result, the center of the Milky Way will be harder to observe for observers at higher latitudes. On the right, notice that an observer at latitude 47°N will be obscured by half of the horizon. An observer at latitude 37°N is blocked by the horizon at a lower position. And an observer at latitude 18°N will see it quite clearly.
For this reason, observers at lower latitudes can more easily spot the center of the Milky Way. even in Thailand However, other factors such as sky conditions and light disturbances may have a much greater effect on observing the Milky Way.
and if anyone has the opportunity to go to the southern hemisphere We may find the center of the Milky Way looming overhead. Along with images of the Milky Way that are unusual and seemingly “upside down” to what we are used to in the northern hemisphere. when really it’s just our own horizons that change
Picture and information: Dr. Matipol Tangmatitham, Astronomical Scholar, Dr.
