Another space question for Brett.

[Warren Walker]

I was just sitting in my hot tub, looking up at the stars, (I know what are the chances of that) and I started thinking....
 If someone was exactly opposite me on the other side of the planet, 12 hrs from
now, they would be looking at the exact same stars I am looking at. The question
is, as the earth rotates 365 days around the sun, how much of the milky way can you see
from the vantage point of Sothern California. and if you go to the north or south pole
can you see all or most of the galaxy when it's dark for 24 hrs.

W.W.

[john e. holliday]

Just thinking that if some was exactly on the opposite side of Mother Earth as you while you are seeing stars, wouldn't it be day light for him.   I know when my daughter was in Germany she would see the moon going down and I would see it rising.   But it is fun watching the sun as we orbit around it how it moves from a southerly direction each day as it moves along the horizon each morning until it get to the most northerly direction and starts moving south.  The thought just hit me, is there a southern star like we have in the northern hemisphere to navigate by?

[Trostle]

The thought just hit me, is there a southern star like we have in the northern hemisphere to navigate by?

Hi Doc,

There is not exactly any equivalent to Polaris, our North Star, in the southern hemisphere.  There is, however, the Southern Cross constellation which is used for navigation for those down there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crux

Keith

[Tim Wescott]

Do a search on "see the milky way".  More south is better.  Darker is better.  In most parts of the US you have to work to find dark-enough sky.

[Dane Martin]

Dark, you want dark, go the the middle of Nevada, at night. Take lots of water. But you got dark.

Oh man, I took this chick out several years back to do some night time ATV riding.  We left the door open so the cab light on the truck would be our home base. I know, I know. Genius. So of course something happened, and the truck door shut. It was so dark we couldn't see anything! We called the BLM and they sent a helicopter and spot light to find the truck. Embarrassing for sure. But, I'm pretty charming, so it worked out for a while..... 

[Brett Buck]

I was just sitting in my hot tub, looking up at the stars, (I know what are the chances of that) and I started thinking....
 If someone was exactly opposite me on the other side of the planet, 12 hrs from
now, they would be looking at the exact same stars I am looking at. The question
is, as the earth rotates 365 days around the sun, how much of the milky way can you see
from the vantage point of Sothern California. and if you go to the north or south pole
can you see all or most of the galaxy when it's dark for 24 hrs.

W.W.

    I don't know enough about astronomy to say.

     Brett

[Alan Resinger]

Warren,
Your question is a bit tricky.  If say So. Cal. is around 35 degrees North of the equator then a person opposite of you on the earth would be at 35 degrees South.  They would not be observing the same stars 12 hours later from their vantage point.  Now if opposite of you means the person at 35 degrees North, then they would see the same stars 12 hours after you do. 
Alan   

[Tim Wescott]

Warren,
Your question is a bit tricky.  If say So. Cal. is around 35 degrees North of the equator then a person opposite of you on the earth would be at 35 degrees South.  They would not be observing the same stars 12 hours later from their vantage point.  Now if opposite of you means the person at 35 degrees North, then they would see the same stars 12 hours after you do. 
Alan   

On the bright (or dark) side, if you're in So. Cal., then your antipode is in the middle of the ocean.  So your hypothetical antipodal counterpart will have a really dark sky to observe from.

[Brian Hampton]

Just to add to what Alan said, only if you lived on the equator would someone else exactly opposite you (and therefore also on the equator) see the exact same stars 12 hours later.

[Warren Walker]

Warren,
Your question is a bit tricky.  If say So. Cal. is around 35 degrees North of the equator then a person opposite of you on the earth would be at 35 degrees South.  They would not be observing the same stars 12 hours later from their vantage point.  Now if opposite of you means the person at 35 degrees North, then they would see the same stars 12 hours after you do. 
Alan   

Yes, I just referring to opposite on a rotational line. What I was really asking about is,
 as we circle around the sun for 365 days, how much of the milky way do we see.

W.W. 

[Alan Resinger]

Warren,
It all depends on where you live on the planet.  If you want to take in all of the Milky Way you will need to spend a year at approximately 40-45 degrees North and 40-45 degrees South.  Due to the earths tilted axis most people in the US never see the stars below the Southern horizon even in winter when we are tilted away from the sun.  Same is true for those in the Southern hemisphere with respect to the stars above their Northern horizon.  People in Australia never see the North star (Polaris) while people in most of the US don't see the Southern Cross.  Hawaii, South Florida and South Texas would be the exceptions.
Alan Resinger

[Mike Callas]

Check out the Northern cross Cygnus. A Nova from a binary star is brewing up. Will max out in about 5 years. It is just outside the left arm of the cross (our right).
Doesn't happen very often.

[Phil Krankowski]

Hop a boat and get out 5+ miles and there is almost no light pollution.  Been there on Lake Erie a few times. 

It is AWESOME.

Yes, I know at 5 miles the horizon is still lit by cities, skylines plainly visible, and cloud cover makes it worse reflecting all kinds of light around, but on a clear night it is very dark.

Phil

[Ted Fancher]

    I don't know enough about astronomy to say.

     Brett

Praise the Lord!  There's hope for the rest of us regular people after all! 

Ted

[RknRusty]

On South Carolina's beaches... the real beaches, not ones named "Myrtle," there are ordinances to turn out all beachfront porch lights at 10:00 pm so as not to affect the sea turtles' sense of direction while nesting and laying eggs. Even 30 miles South at Pawleys Island, you still have to look away from Myrtle, but the ecliptic plane of the galaxy is pretty clear. Though with slight light pollution, it can easily be mistaken as a long cloud streak. It's always nice stargazing when the moon isn't in the sky. My phone's Skymap app is handy, but not so good for your night vision. I use it a lot
Rusty