# Constellations Over Colombia **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893 "2009-01-31T19:13:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/1 "2009-01-31T19:13:25Z")
I know there must be quite a few astronomy buffs on the Straight Dope Message Board. I am requesting information about constellations seen in June and July over the Putumayo Department, Colombia SA. I know next to nothing about this subject. I did a cursory Internet search (3hrs.) and the amount of information looks pretty slim. Plenty of Northern Hemisphere stuff but I can’t seem to find Southern Hemi info. Anyhow, I need this info fairly soon. I’m stuck right now at my folks’ house for at least the next week as we’ve had a death in the family. So that means no actual physical trips anywhere to do research. Tough noogies; my deadline won’t wait. Links would be helpful. Etc. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/2 "2009-01-31T19:43:18Z")
This page should let you input what you need. > **[Your Sky](https://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/)** > > Your Sky Putumayo is at about 1° N and 77° W. I don’t know if this page with the info I put in will display = [Sky above 47°N 7°E at Fri 2023 Sep 29 23:41](http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Yoursky) [edit- no, it doesn’t.] Basically, any constellation on the ecliptic or on the celestial equator will be right overhead when you’re that close to Earth’s equator. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/3 "2009-01-31T20:02:03Z")
Gotta check out Alpha Centauri, the nearby Eta Carinae nebula, and the Magellanic Clouds, just for starters (all of which should be visible after sunset this time of year). Saw them during a trip to Africa 8 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/4 "2009-01-31T20:09:06Z")
Thank you. **Jenaroph** , I bookmarked both of your links. It’s all good; they both seem to work fine. **John DiFool** , I copied and pasted your info to a Word file I’ve started on this subject. Very much appreciate it, guys! ---
**Author:** ![Mallory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mallory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallory)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/5 "2009-02-01T02:00:55Z")
There’s also the Sky and Telescope Interactive Sky Chart: [http://skychart.skytonight.com/observing/skychart/skychart.asp](http://skychart.skytonight.com/observing/skychart/skychart.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/6 "2009-02-01T02:28:30Z")
**Mallory** , thank you. I bookmarked that site as well. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/7 "2009-02-01T02:31:42Z")
Sending to GQ in case anyone there has more. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/8 "2009-02-01T02:33:41Z")
What is so special about the constellations over Putumayo? Can’t they be seen from other places? ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/9 "2009-02-01T02:41:33Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > What is so special about the constellations over Putumayo? Can’t they be seen from other places? I’m looking for stuff in that general area. Maybe I should have said southwestern Colombia. That probably helps. I didn’t know if the closer you got to the Equator how much more specific I had to be about asking for locations. I didn’t know if that made a difference or not in terms of what you could see. I really have no clue about astronomy. Hope that clarifies things. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/10 "2009-02-01T03:09:36Z")
I’m not sure about Colombia in June, but when I was in Peru last May, I could see the Big Dipper and the Southern Cross at the same time. (Or at least in the amount of time it took me to turn my head in the opposite direction.) ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/11 "2009-02-01T09:28:03Z")
> [@Creaky](#): > > I’m looking for stuff in that general area. Maybe I should have said southwestern Colombia. That probably helps. > > I didn’t know if the closer you got to the Equator how much more specific I had to be about asking for locations. I didn’t know if that made a difference or not in terms of what you could see. I really have no clue about astronomy. > > Hope that clarifies things. > > Thanks! Just specifying the latitude would be enough - and, barring one or two close-to-the-Pole objects like Polaris or the Southern Cross (s \*Octantis \*is closer to being a southern Pole Star, but it’s inconspicuous), a few degrees here or there is of no more moment than anywhere else in the world. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/12 "2009-02-01T12:48:53Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Basically, any constellation on the ecliptic or on the celestial equator will be right overhead when you’re that close to Earth’s equator. You might want to reconsider or rephrase that. The celestial equator is inclined by 23.5° to the ecliptic plane. > [@](#): > > wikipedia > Celestial objects near the celestial equator are visible worldwide, but they culminate the highest in the sky in the tropics. The celestial equator passes through these constellations:Pisces , Cetus , Taurus , Eridanus , Orion , Monoceros , Canis Minor , Hydra , Sextans , Leo , Virgo , Serpens , Ophiuchus , Aquila , Aquarius ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/13 "2009-02-01T19:06:50Z")
It’ll also depend to a degree on what time of night you’re looking. Usually, when you see a star chart for a particular month, it means shortly after sunset, since more people are awake then than midnight or the early morning. If you’re going to be up later than that, you’ll want to use a star chart that’s one month later for every two hours later you’re looking. Thus, for instance, if your star charts show 8:00 PM, and you’re outside at 10:00 PM in June, you’ll see something that looks like the 8:00 July chart. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constellations-over-colombia/483893/14 "2009-02-03T16:55:05Z")
Sorry to bump this. Right now it’s easier than doing a bunch of private messages. Thank you all very much for your info. This has been quite helpful and it is appreciated.