 WARNING! Never use the Meade ETX-90EC Astro Telescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope or its viewfinder at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or its viewfinder as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing. |
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Latitude Chart for Major Cities of the World
To aid in the polar alignment procedure (see page 12), latitudes of major cities around the world are listed below. To determine the latitude of an observing site not listed on the chart, locate the city closest to your site. Then follow the procedure below:
Northern hemisphere observers (N): If the site is over 70 miles (110 km) north of the listed city, add one degree for every 70 miles. If the site is over 70 miles south of the listed city, subtract one degree per 70 miles.
Southern hemisphere observers (S): If the site is over 70 miles north of the listed city, subtract one degree for every 70 miles. If the site is over 70 miles south of the listed city, add one degree per 70 miles.
UNITED STATES
| City |
State |
Latitude |
| Albuquerque |
New Mexico |
35° N |
| Anchorage |
Alaska |
61° N |
| Atlanta |
Georgia |
34° N |
| Boston |
Massachusetts |
42° N |
| Chicago |
Illinois |
42° N |
| Cleveland |
Ohio |
41° N |
| Dallas |
Texas |
33° N |
| Denver |
Colorado |
40° N |
| Detroit |
Michigan |
42° N |
| Honolulu |
Hawaii |
21° N |
| Jackson |
Mississippi |
32° N |
| Kansas City |
Missouri |
39° N |
| Las Vegas |
Nevada |
36° N |
| Little Rock |
Arkansas |
35° N |
| Los Angeles |
California |
34° N |
| Miami |
Florida |
26° N |
| Milwaukee |
Wisconsin |
46° N |
| Nashville |
Tennessee |
36° N |
| New Orleans |
Louisiana |
30° N |
| New York |
New York |
41° N |
| Oklahoma City |
Oklahoma |
35° N |
| Philadelphia |
Pennsylvania |
40° N |
| Phoenix |
Arizona |
33° N |
| Portland |
Oregon |
46° N |
| Richmond |
Virginia |
37° N |
| Salt Lake City |
Utah |
41° N |
| San Antonio |
Texas |
29° N |
| San Diego |
California |
33° N |
| San Francisco |
California |
38° N |
| Seattle |
Washington |
47° N |
| Washington |
District of Columbia |
39° N |
| Wichita |
Kansas |
38° N |
EUROPE
| City |
Country |
Latitude |
| Amsterdam |
Netherlands |
52° N |
| Athens |
Greece |
38° N |
| Bern |
Switzerland |
47° N |
| Copenhagen |
Denmark |
56° N |
| Dublin |
Ireland |
53° N |
| Frankfurt |
Germany |
50° N |
| Glasgow |
Scotland |
56° N |
| Helsinki |
Finland |
60° N |
| Lisbon |
Portugal |
39° N |
| London |
England |
51° N |
| Madrid |
Spain |
40° N |
| Oslo |
Norway |
60° N |
| Paris |
France |
49° N |
| Rome |
Italy |
42° N |
| Stockholm |
Sweden |
59° N |
| Vienna |
Austria |
48° N |
| Warsaw |
Poland |
52° N |
SOUTH AMERICA
| City |
State |
Latitude |
| Asuncion |
Paraguay |
25° S |
| Brasilia |
Brazil |
24° S |
| Buenos Aires |
Argentina |
35° S |
| Montevideo |
Uruguay |
35° S |
| Santiago |
Chili |
34° S |
ASIA
| City |
State |
Latitude |
| Beijing |
China |
40° N |
| Seoul |
South Korea |
37° N |
| Taipei |
Taiwan |
25° N |
| Tokyo |
Japan |
36° N |
| Victoria |
Hong Kong |
23° N |
AFRICA
| City |
State |
Latitude |
| Cairo |
Egypt |
30° N |
| Cape Town |
South Africa |
34° S |
| Rabat |
Morocco |
34° N |
| Tunis |
Tunisia |
37° N |
| Windhoek |
Namibia |
23° S |
AUSTRALIA
| City |
State |
Latitude |
| Adelaide |
South Australia |
35° S |
| Brisbane |
Queensland |
27° S |
| Canberra |
New South Wales |
35° S |
| Alice Springs |
Northern Territory |
24° S |
| Hobart |
Tasmania |
43° S |
| Perth |
Western Australia |
32° S |
| Sydney |
New South Wales |
34° S |
| Melbourne |
Victoria |
38° S |
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Star Locator
Following are a list of bright stars with their R.A. and Dec coordinates, along with the northern hemisphere season when these stars are prominent in the night sky. This list will aid the observer to find alignment stars at various times of the year. For example, if it is a midsummer evening in the northern hemisphere, Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, would be an excellent alignment star, while Betelgeuse could not be used because it is in the winter constellation Orion and thus, below the horizon.
| Season |
Star Name |
Constellation |
R.A. |
Dec |
| Spring |
Arcturus |
Bootes |
14h16m |
19° 11" |
| Spring |
Regulus |
Leo |
10h09m |
11° 58" |
| Spring |
Spica |
Virgo |
13h25m |
-11° 10" |
| Summer |
Vega |
Lyra |
18h37m |
38° 47" |
| Summer |
Deneb |
Cygnus |
20h41m |
45° 17" |
| Summer |
Altair |
Aquilla |
19h51m |
08° 52" |
| Summer |
Antares |
Scorpious |
16h30m |
-26° 26" |
| Fall |
Markab |
Pegasus |
23h05m |
15° 12" |
| Fall |
Fomalhaut |
Piscis Austrinis |
22h58m |
-29° 38" |
| Fall |
Mira |
Cetus |
02h19m |
-02° 58" |
| Winter |
Rigel |
Orion |
05h15m |
-08° 12" |
| Winter |
Betelgeuse |
Orion |
05h55m |
07° 25" |
| Winter |
Sirius |
Canis Major |
06h45m |
-16° 43" |
| Winter |
Aldebaran |
Taurus |
04h35m |
16° 31" |
Appendix C: Precise Polar Alignment; Setting Circles
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