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{{Short description|Imaginary line halfway between Earth’s North and South poles}}{{About|Earth’s equator|its projection in the sky|Celestial equator|other uses}}{{Distinguish|Ecuador}}{{Location map-line|lat=0|caption=The Equator on a map of Earth}}File:Equator_and_Prime_Meridian.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Countries and territories that are intersected by the Equator (red) or the Prime Meridian (blue), which intersect at “Null IslandNull Island(File:The Equator in boreal winter.gif|thumb|150px|right|The Equator during the boreal winter, spanning from December to March.)The equator is a circle of latitude that divides a spheroid, such as Earth, into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. On Earth, the Equator is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about {{cvt|40,075|km}} in circumference, halfway between the North and South poles.WEB,www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/equator/, Equator, National Geographic - Education, 6 September 2011, 9 March 2021, The term can also be used for any other celestial body that is roughly spherical.In spatial (3D) geometry, as applied in astronomy, the equator of a rotating spheroid (such as a planet) is the parallel (circle of latitude) at which latitude is defined to be 0°. It is an imaginary line on the spheroid, equidistant from its poles, dividing it into northern and southern hemispheres. In other words, it is the intersection of the spheroid with the plane perpendicular to its axis of rotation and midway between its geographical poles.On and near the Equator (on Earth), noontime sunlight appears almost directly overhead (no more than about 23° from the zenith) every day, year-round. Consequently, the Equator has a rather stable daytime temperature throughout the year. On the equinoxes (approximately March 20 and September 23) the subsolar point crosses Earth’s equator at a shallow angle, sunlight shines perpendicular to Earth’s axis of rotation, and all latitudes have nearly a 12-hour day and 12-hour night.WEB,www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/equinox-not-equal.html#:~:text=Perfect%20opportunity%20to%20see%20the%20Midnight%20Sun%21%20On,equinoxes%20is%20how%20sunrise%20and%20sunset%20are%20defined., Equinox: Almost Equal Day and Night, Aparna, Kher, timeanddate.com, 5 November 2021,

Etymology

The name is derived from medieval Latin word , in the phrase , meaning ‘circle equalizing day and night’, from the Latin word ‘make equal’.WEB,en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/equator,web.archive.org/web/20180523011400/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/equator, dead, May 23, 2018, Definition of equator, Oxford Dictionaries, 5 May 2018,

Overview

File:Equator sign kenya.jpg|thumb|right|125px|Road sign marking the equator near Nanyuki, KenyaKenyaThe latitude of the Earth’s equator is, by definition, 0° (zero degrees) of arc. The equator is one of the five notable circles of latitude on Earth; the other four are the two polar circles (the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle) and the two tropical circles (the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn). The equator is the only line of latitude which is also a great circle—meaning, one whose plane passes through the center of the globe. The plane of Earth’s equator, when projected outwards to the celestial sphere, defines the celestial equator.In the cycle of Earth’s seasons, the equatorial plane runs through the Sun twice a year: on the equinoxes in March and September. To a person on Earth, the Sun appears to travel along the equator (or along the celestial equator) at these times. File:Equator Sao Tome.jpg|thumb|The equator marked as it crosses Ilhéu das Rolas, in São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé and PríncipeFile:equator Line Monument, Macapá city, Brazil.jpg|thumb|The Marco Zero monument marking the equator in Macapá, BrazilBrazilLocations on the equator experience the shortest sunrises and sunsets because the Sun’s daily path is nearly perpendicular to the horizon for most of the year. The length of daylight (sunrise to sunset) is almost constant throughout the year; it is about 14 minutes longer than nighttime due to atmospheric refraction and the fact that sunrise begins (or sunset ends) as the upper limb, not the center, of the Sun’s disk contacts the horizon.Earth bulges slightly at the Equator; its average diameter is {{cvt|12742|km|mi}}, but the diameter at the equator is about {{cvt|43|km|mi}} greater than at the poles.Sites near the Equator, such as the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, are good locations for spaceports as they have the fastest rotational speed of any latitude, {{cvt|460.|m}}/sec. The added velocity reduces the fuel needed to launch spacecraft eastward (in the direction of Earth’s rotation) to orbit, while simultaneously avoiding costly maneuvers to flatten inclination during missions such as the Apollo Moon landings.WEB, William Barnaby Faherty, Charles D. Benson, Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations,www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/contents.html, NASA Special Publication-4204, NASA History Series, 8 May 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180915105350/https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/contents.html, 15 September 2018, Chapter 1.2: A Saturn Launch Site, 1978, Equatorial launch sites offered certain advantages over facilities within the continental United States. A launching due east from a site on the equator could take advantage of the earth’s maximum rotational velocity ({{cvt, 460., m/s, ) to achieve orbital speed. The more frequent overhead passage of the orbiting vehicle above an equatorial base would facilitate tracking and communications. Most important, an equatorial launch site would avoid the costly dogleg technique, a prerequisite for placing rockets into equatorial orbit from sites such as Cape Canaveral, Florida (28 degrees north latitude). The necessary correction in the space vehicle’s trajectory could be very expensive - engineers estimated that doglegging a Saturn vehicle into a low-altitude equatorial orbit from Cape Canaveral used enough extra propellant to reduce the payload by as much as 80%. In higher orbits, the penalty was less severe but still involved at least a 20% loss of payload. |url-status=dead }}

Geodesy

{{further|Earth ellipsoid|Reference ellipsoid}}

Precise location

The precise location of the Equator is not truly fixed; the true equatorial plane is perpendicular to the Earth’s rotation axis, which drifts about {{convert|9|m|0}} during a year.Geological samples show that the Equator significantly changed positions between 48 and 12 million years ago, as sediment deposited by ocean thermal currents at the Equator shifted. The deposits by thermal currents are determined by the axis of Earth, which determines solar coverage of Earth’s surface. Changes in Earth’s axis can also be observed in the geographical layout of volcanic island chains, which are created by shifting hot spots under Earth’s crust as the axis and crust move.WEB, Millions of Years Ago, the Poles Moved — And It Could Have Triggered an Ice Age,www.discovermagazine.com/environment/millions-of-years-ago-the-poles-moved-and-it-could-have-triggered-an-ice-age, Nov 26, 2018, Anna, Funk, Discover Magazine, en, live,web.archive.org/web/20230924192144/https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/millions-of-years-ago-the-poles-moved-and-it-could-have-triggered-an-ice-age, Sep 24, 2023, This is consistent with the Indian tectonic plate colliding with the Eurasian tectonic plate, which is causing the Himalayan uplift.

Exact length

The International Association of Geodesy (IAG) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) use an equatorial radius of {{cvt|6,378.1366|km}} (codified as the IAU 2009 value).JOURNAL,www.sai.msu.ru/neb/rw/CelMech110.pdf, free, free, The IAU 2009 system of astronomical constants: the report of the IAU working group on numerical standards for Fundamental Astronomy, Celest Mech Dyn Astr, 2011, 110, 293–304, 10.1007/s10569-011-9352-4, Brian, Luzum, Nicole, Capitaine, Agnès, Fienga, William, Folkner, Toshio, Fukushima, James, Hilton, Catherine, Hohenkerk, George, Krasinsky, Gérard, Petit, Elena, Pitjeva, Michael, Soffel, Patrick, Wallace, 4, 2011CeMDA.110..293L, 122755461, free, live,web.archive.org/web/20230801102509/https://www.sai.msu.ru/neb/rw/CelMech110.pdf, Aug 1, 2023, This equatorial radius is also in the 2003 and 2010 IERS Conventions.WEB,iers-conventions.obspm.fr/2010/2010_official/chapter1/tn36_c1.pdf, General definitions and numerical standards, IERS Technical Note 36,iers-conventions.obspm.fr/2010/2010_official/chapter1/tn36_c1.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20181218054401iers-conventions.obspm.fr/2010/2010_official/chapter1/tn36_c1.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20181218054401iers-conventions.obspm.fr/2010/2010_official/chapter1/tn36_c1.pdf, 18 December 2018, It is also the equatorial radius used for the IERS 2003 ellipsoid. If it were really circular, the length of the equator would then be exactly 2π times the radius, namely {{cvt|40,075.0142|km}}. The GRS 80 (Geodetic Reference System 1980) as approved and adopted by the IUGG at its Canberra, Australia meeting of 1979 has an equatorial radius of {{cvt|6,378.137|km}}. The WGS 84 (World Geodetic System 1984) which is a standard for use in cartography, geodesy, and satellite navigation including GPS, also has an equatorial radius of {{cvt|6,378.137|km}}. For both GRS 80 and WGS 84, this results in a length for the Equator of {{cvt|40,075.0167|km}}.The geographical mile is defined as one arc-minute of the Equator, so it has different values depending on which radius is assumed. For example, by WSG-84, the distance is {{convert|1855.3248|m}}, while by IAU-2000, it is {{convert|1855.3257|m}}. This is a difference of less than {{Convert|1|mm|spell=in}} over the total distance (approximately {{convert|1.86|km||disp=or}}).Earth is commonly modeled as a sphere flattened 0.336% along its axis. This makes the Equator 0.16% longer than a meridian (a great circle passing through the two poles). The IUGG standard meridian is, to the nearest millimetre, {{convert|40007.862917|km}}, one arc-minute of which is {{convert|1852.216|m}}, explaining the SI standardization of the nautical mile as {{convert|1852|m}}, more than {{convert|3|m}} less than the geographical mile.The sea-level surface of Earth (the geoid) is irregular, so the actual length of the Equator is not so easy to determine. Aviation Week and Space Technology on 9 October 1961 reported that measurements using the Transit IV-A satellite had shown the equatorial diameter from longitude 11° West to 169° East to be {{convert|1000.|ft}} greater than its diameter ninety degrees away.{{citation needed|date=March 2012}}

Equatorial countries and territories

{{kml}}File:ECSundialGPS.jpg|thumb|upright|GPS reading taken on the Equator close to the Quitsato Sundial, in Cayambe, EcuadorEcuadorFile:The Middle Ground (3960089271).jpg|thumb|Sign on the Equator in San Antonio de PichinchaSan Antonio de PichinchaFile:Crossing the Equator (46217438471).jpg|thumb|The N1 road crossing the Equator in Gabon, north of BifounBifounThe Equator passes through the land of eleven sovereign states. Indonesia is the country straddling the greatest length of the equatorial line across both land and sea. Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the Equator passes through:{| class=“wikitable plainrowheaders“! style="width:10em;“| Coordinates! style="width:14em;“| Country orwater body! scope=“col” | Notes

Atlantic Ocean	Gulf of Guinea, “Null Island”

0	N	31	type:country|name=São Tomé and Príncipe}}! scope=“row” | {{STP}}| Passing through Pestana Equador resort on the Ilhéu das Rolas

0	N	21	type:country|name=Gabon}}! scope=“row” | {{GAB}}	8.9	abbr=on}} south of Ayem, {{convert	km|abbr=on}} north of Mayene, Booue

0	N	57	type:country|name=Republic of the Congo}}! scope=“row” | {{Flag|COG|name=Congo}}| Passing through the town of Makoua.

0	N	45	type:country|name=Democratic Republic of the Congo}}! scope=“row” | {{Flag|COD|name=DR Congo}}	9	abbr=on}} south of central Butembo

0	N	44	type:country|name=Uganda}}! scope=“row” | {{UGA}}	32	abbr=on}} south of central Kampala

Lake Victoria	Mukono District and Namayingo District

0	N	0	type:country|name=Kenya}}! scope=“row” | {{KEN}}	6	abbr=on}} north of central Kisumu. Passes through the highest mountain in Kenya i.e Mt. Kenya

0	N	0	type:country|name=Somalia}}! scope=“row” | {{SOM}}| Passing south of Jamame

Indian Ocean	Huvadhu Atoll and Fuvahmulah of {{MDV}}

0	N	13	type:country|name=Indonesia}}! scope=“row” | {{IDN}}	North Sumatra (Batu Islands), West Sumatra (West Pasaman Regency>West Pasaman, Pasaman Regency	and Lima Puluh Kota Regency), Riau (Kampar Regency>Kampar, Pelalawan and Indragiri Hilir Regency), and Lingga Regency of Riau Islands

South China Sea
0	N	10	type:country|name=Indonesia}}! scope=“row” | {{IDN}}	Borneo>Bornean provinces of West Kalimantan (passing through province capital Pontianak), Central Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan

Makassar Strait
0	N	40	type:country|name=Indonesia}}! scope=“row” | {{IDN}}	Donggala Regency>Donggala & Parigi Moutong Regency, Central Sulawesi (Celebes)

Gulf of Tomini
Molucca Sea
0	N	25	type:country|name=Indonesia}} ! scope=“row” | {{IDN}}|Kayoa and Halmahera islands, North Maluku

Halmahera Sea
0	N	21	type:country|name=Indonesia}}! scope=“row” | {{IDN}}| Gebe and Kawe islands, North Maluku, Southwest Papua

Pacific Ocean	Aranuka and Nonouti atolls, {{KIR}} (at {{Coord	0	173	E}})Also passing just south of Baker Island, and just north of Jarvis Island, {{UMI}}

0	N	35	type:country|name=Ecuador}}! scope=“row” | {{ECU}}	Isabela Island (Ecuador)>Isabela Island in the Galápagos Islands

Pacific Ocean
0	N	7	type:country|name=Ecuador}}! scope=“row” | {{ECU}}	24	abbr=on}} north of central Quito, near Ciudad Mitad del Mundo	, and precisely at the location of Catequilla, a Pre-Columbian era>pre-Columbian ruin.

0	N	35	type:country|name=Colombia}}! scope=“row” | {{COL}}	4.3	abbr=on}} north of the border with Peru

valign=“top”

0	N	3	type:country|name=Brazil}}! scope=“row” | {{BRA}}	Amazonas (Brazilian state)>Amazonas, Roraima, Pará, Amapá (passing slightly south of the city center of the state capital Macapá, and precisely at the Marco Zero monument and the Avenue Equatorial)

Atlantic Ocean	Perigoso Canal on the mouth of the Amazon River

The Equator also passes through the territorial seas of three countries: Maldives (south of Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll), Kiribati (south of Buariki Island), and the United States (south of Baker Island).Despite its name, no part of Equatorial Guinea lies on the Equator. However, its island of Annobón is {{convert|155|km|abbr=on}} south of the Equator, and the rest of the country lies to the north. France, Norway (Bouvet Island), and the United Kingdom are the other three Northern Hemisphere-based countries which have territories in the Southern Hemisphere.

Equatorial seasons and climate

{{See|Tropics}}File:seasons.svg|frame|right|Diagram of the seasons, showing the situation at the December solstice. Regardless of the time of day (i.e. Earth’s rotation on its axis), the North Pole will be dark, and the South Pole will be illuminated; see also polar night. In addition to the density of incident light, the dissipation of light in atmosphere is greater when it falls at a shallow angle.]]Seasons result from the tilt of Earth’s axis away from a line perpendicular to the plane of its revolution around the Sun. Throughout the year, the Northern and Southern hemispheres are alternately turned either toward or away from the Sun, depending on Earth’s position in its orbit. The hemisphere turned toward the Sun receives more sunlight and is in summer, while the other hemisphere receives less sun and is in winter (see solstice).At the equinoxes, Earth’s axis is perpendicular to the Sun rather than tilted toward or away, meaning that day and night are both about 12 hours long across the whole of Earth.Near the equator, this means the variation in the strength of solar radiation is different relative to the time of year than it is at higher latitudes: maximum solar radiation is received during the equinoxes, when a place at the equator is under the subsolar point at high noon, and the intermediate seasons of spring and autumn occur at higher latitudes; and the minimum occurs during both solstices, when either pole is tilted towards or away from the sun, resulting in either summer or winter in both hemispheres. This also results in a corresponding movement of the equator away from the subsolar point, which is then situated over or near the relevant tropic circle. Nevertheless, temperatures are high year-round due to the Earth’s axial tilt of 23.5° not being enough to create a low minimum midday declination to sufficiently weaken the Sun’s rays even during the solstices. High year-round temperatures extend to about 25° north or south of the equator, although the moderate seasonal temperature difference is defined by the opposing solstices (as it is at higher latitudes) near the poleward limits of this range. Near the equator, there is little temperature change throughout the year, though there may be dramatic differences in rainfall and humidity. The terms summer, autumn, winter and spring do not generally apply. Lowlands around the equator generally have a tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, though cold ocean currents cause some regions to have tropical monsoon climates with a dry season in the middle of the year, and the Somali Current generated by the Asian monsoon due to continental heating via the high Tibetan Plateau causes Greater Somalia to have an arid climate despite its equatorial location.Average annual temperatures in equatorial lowlands are around {{convert|31|°C|°F|abbr=on}} during the afternoon and {{convert|23|°C|°F|abbr=on}} around sunrise. Rainfall is very high away from cold ocean current upwelling zones, from {{convert|2500|to|3500|mm|abbr=on|round=5}} per year. There are about 200 rainy days per year and average annual sunshine hours are around 2,000. Despite high year-round sea level temperatures, some higher altitudes such as the Andes and Mount Kilimanjaro have glaciers. The highest point on the equator is at the elevation of {{convert|4690|m|0}}, at {{Coord|0|0|0|N|77|59|31|W|type:landmark_region:EC|name=highest point on the equator}}, found on the southern slopes of Volcán Cayambe [summit {{convert|5790|m|0}}] in Ecuador. This is slightly above the snow line and is the only place on the equator where snow lies on the ground. At the equator, the snow line is around {{convert|1000|m|ft}} lower than on Mount Everest and as much as {{convert|2000|m|ft}} lower than the highest snow line in the world, near the Tropic of Capricorn on Llullaillaco.{{Weather box|width=75%|location = Libreville, Gabon in Africa|metric first = yes|single line = yes|temperature colour = pastel|Jan high C = 29.5|Feb high C = 30.0|Mar high C = 30.2|Apr high C = 30.1|May high C = 29.4|Jun high C = 27.6|Jul high C = 26.4|Aug high C = 26.8|Sep high C = 27.5|Oct high C = 28.0|Nov high C = 28.4|Dec high C = 29.0|year high C = 28.58|Jan mean C = 26.8|Feb mean C = 27.0|Mar mean C = 27.1|Apr mean C = 26.6|May mean C = 26.7|Jun mean C = 25.4|Jul mean C = 24.3|Aug mean C = 24.3|Sep mean C = 25.4|Oct mean C = 25.7|Nov mean C = 25.9|Dec mean C = 26.2|year mean C = 25.95|Jan low C = 24.1|Feb low C = 24.0|Mar low C = 23.9|Apr low C = 23.1|May low C = 24.0|Jun low C = 23.2|Jul low C = 22.1|Aug low C = 21.8|Sep low C = 23.2|Oct low C = 23.4|Nov low C = 23.4|Dec low C = 23.4|year low C = 23.30|rain colour = green|Jan rain mm = 250.3|Feb rain mm = 243.1|Mar rain mm = 363.2|Apr rain mm = 339.0|May rain mm = 247.3 |Jun rain mm = 54.1|Jul rain mm = 6.6|Aug rain mm = 13.7|Sep rain mm = 104.0|Oct rain mm = 427.2|Nov rain mm = 490.0|Dec rain mm = 303.2|Jan rain days = 17.9|Feb rain days = 14.8|Mar rain days = 19.5|Apr rain days = 19.2|May rain days = 16.0|Jun rain days = 3.70|Jul rain days = 1.70|Aug rain days = 4.90|Sep rain days = 14.5|Oct rain days = 25.0|Nov rain days = 22.6|Dec rain days = 17.6|unit rain days = 0.1 mm|Jan sun = 176.7|Feb sun = 182.7|Mar sun = 176.7|Apr sun = 177.0|May sun = 158.1|Jun sun = 132.0|Jul sun = 117.8|Aug sun = 89.90|Sep sun = 96.00|Oct sun = 111.6|Nov sun = 135.0|Dec sun = 167.4|year sun = 1720.9World Meteorological Organization (United Nations>UN),WEB }}{{Weather box|width=75%|location = Pontianak, Indonesia in Asia|metric first = yes|single line = yes|temperature colour = pastel|Jan high C = 32.4|Feb high C = 32.7|Mar high C = 32.9|Apr high C = 33.2|May high C = 33.0|Jun high C = 33.2|Jul high C = 32.9|Aug high C = 33.4|Sep high C = 32.6|Oct high C = 32.6|Nov high C = 32.2|Dec high C = 32.0|year high C = 32.7|Jan mean C = 27.6|Feb mean C = 27.7|Mar mean C = 28.0|Apr mean C = 28.2|May mean C = 28.2|Jun mean C = 28.2|Jul mean C = 27.7|Aug mean C = 27.9|Sep mean C = 27.6|Oct mean C = 27.7|Nov mean C = 27.4|Dec mean C = 27.2|year mean C = 27.7|Jan low C = 22.7|Feb low C = 22.6|Mar low C = 23.0|Apr low C = 23.2|May low C = 23.4|Jun low C = 23.1|Jul low C = 22.5|Aug low C = 22.3|Sep low C = 22.6|Oct low C = 22.8|Nov low C = 22.6|Dec low C = 22.4|year low C = 22.7|rain colour = green|Jan rain mm = 260|Feb rain mm = 215|Mar rain mm = 254|Apr rain mm = 292|May rain mm = 256|Jun rain mm = 212|Jul rain mm = 201|Aug rain mm = 180|Sep rain mm = 295|Oct rain mm = 329|Nov rain mm = 400|Dec rain mm = 302|Jan rain days = 15|Feb rain days = 13|Mar rain days = 21|Apr rain days = 22|May rain days = 20|Jun rain days = 18|Jul rain days = 16|Aug rain days = 25|Sep rain days = 14|Oct rain days = 27|Nov rain days = 25|Dec rain days = 22|unit rain days = 0.1 mmWorld Meteorological Organization (United Nations>UN)WEB }}{{Weather box|width=75%|location = Macapá, Brazil in South America|metric first = yes|single line = yes|temperature colour = pastel|Jan high C = 29.7|Feb high C = 29.2|Mar high C = 29.3|Apr high C = 29.5|May high C = 30.0|Jun high C = 30.3|Jul high C = 30.6|Aug high C = 31.5|Sep high C = 32.1|Oct high C = 32.6|Nov high C = 32.3|Dec high C = 31.4|year high C = 30.71|Jan mean C = 26.5|Feb mean C = 26.2|Mar mean C = 26.3|Apr mean C = 26.4|May mean C = 26.8|Jun mean C = 26.8|Jul mean C = 26.8|Aug mean C = 27.4|Sep mean C = 27.8|Oct mean C = 28.1|Nov mean C = 27.9|Dec mean C = 27.4|year mean C = 27.03|Jan low C = 23.0|Feb low C = 23.1|Mar low C = 23.2|Apr low C = 23.5|May low C = 23.5|Jun low C = 23.2|Jul low C = 22.9|Aug low C = 23.3|Sep low C = 23.4|Oct low C = 23.5|Nov low C = 23.5|Dec low C = 23.4|year low C = 23.29|rain colour = green|Jan rain mm = 299.6|Feb rain mm = 347.0|Mar rain mm = 407.2|Apr rain mm = 384.3|May rain mm = 351.5|Jun rain mm = 220.1|Jul rain mm = 184.8|Aug rain mm = 98.0|Sep rain mm = 42.6|Oct rain mm = 35.5|Nov rain mm = 58.4|Dec rain mm = 142.5|Jan rain days = 23|Feb rain days = 22|Mar rain days = 24|Apr rain days = 24|May rain days = 25|Jun rain days = 22|Jul rain days = 19|Aug rain days = 13|Sep rain days = 6|Oct rain days = 5|Nov rain days = 6|Dec rain days = 14|unit rain days = 0.1 mm|Jan sun = 148.8|Feb sun = 113.1|Mar sun = 108.5|Apr sun = 114.0|May sun = 151.9|Jun sun = 189.0|Jul sun = 226.3|Aug sun = 272.8|Sep sun = 273.0|Oct sun = 282.1|Nov sun = 252.0|Dec sun = 204.6|year sun = 2336.1World Meteorological Organization (United Nations>UN),WEB }}

Line-crossing ceremonies

There is a widespread maritime tradition of holding ceremonies to mark a sailor’s first crossing of the equator. In the past, these ceremonies have been notorious for their brutality, especially in naval practice. {{citation needed|date=April 2017}} Milder line-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are also held for passengers’ entertainment on some civilian ocean liners and cruise ships.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

See also

{{div col}}

• 1st parallel north
• 1st parallel south
• Bogota Declaration
• Coriolis force
• Intertropical Convergence Zone
• Planetary equator
• Prime meridian
• Thermal equator

{{div col end}}

References

{{reflist}}

Sources

{{Commons category|Equator}}

• JOURNAL, Geodetic Reference System 1980, Bulletin Géodésique, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, H, Moritz, 395–405, 54, 3, September 1980, 10.1007/BF02521480, 1980BGeod..54..395M, 198209711, (IUGG/WGS-84 data)
• BOOK, Computational Spherical Astronomy, Wiley, New York City, New York, Laurence G, Taff, 1981, 0-471-06257-X, 6532537, (IAU data)

{{Geographical coordinates|state=collapsed}}{{Authority control}}