The Equator!

After spending several days in Quito, Ecuador, I finally made the trip to the actual equator. It's just less than an hour drive from the city of Quito and, at first glance, was pretty unimpressive. There's a monument marking the spot and a yellow line separating the northern hemisphere from the southern hemisphere. It became cool when the guide took a portable sink and put it in the center of the line. In the bucket were some leaves. When she removed the drain, the leaves and water all went straight down the drain.

She then moved the bucket five feet south of the equator, into the Southern Hemisphere, and when she removed the drain, the leaves and water went down the drain in a clockwise motion. Finally, she moved the bucket five feet north of the equator, into the Northern Hemisphere, and when she removed the drain, the leaves and water then went down the drain in a counter clockwise motion.

We did some other tests to demonstrate the pull of gravity as well and the lack of gravity at the actual equator. I also was told that the stars from both hemispheres can be seen from the equator. On the equator, the length of day and night are equal every day of the year - day is always twelve hours long and night is always twelve hours long.

Here are the three videos showing water draining exactly on the equator line, in the Southern Hemisphere and then the Northern Hemisphere - all within 10 feet of each other!

Water draining at the equator:

Water draining in the Southern Hemisphere (five feet south of the equator):



Water draining in the Northern Hemisphere (five feet north of the equator):