Question

The south celestial pole is 49 degrees above your southern horizon. This tells you that you are at:

a) Latitude 49 degrees South
b) Longitude 49 degrees West
c) Latitude 49 degrees North
d) Longitude 49 degrees East

Answer 1

The altitude of the south celestial pole being 49 degrees above the horizon indicates the observer's latitude is 49 degrees South.

Step-by-step explanation:

The south celestial pole's altitude above the horizon directly corresponds to the observer's latitude in the Southern Hemisphere. If the south celestial pole is observed to be 49 degrees above the southern horizon, it indicates that the observer is located at a latitude of 49 degrees South. This is because the altitude of a celestial pole above the horizon is equal to the observer's geographical latitude. In the Northern Hemisphere, the same concept applies to the north celestial pole. For an observer at the equator (0 degrees latitude), the celestial equator would pass overhead through the zenith. Conversely, at the poles, the respective celestial pole would be directly overhead at the zenith (90 degrees).