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56th parallel south

The 56th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 56 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. No land lies on the parallel — it crosses nothing but ocean.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 17 hours, 37 minutes during the December solstice and 6 hours, 57 minutes during the June solstice.¹

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 56° south passes through:

57th parallel south

The 57th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 57 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. No land lies on the parallel — it crosses nothing but ocean.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 17 hours, 53 minutes during the December solstice and 6 hours, 43 minutes during the June solstice. On December 21, the sun is at 56.44 degrees in the sky and on June 21, the sun is at 9.56 degrees in the sky. During the summer solstice, nighttime does not get beyond nautical twilight, a condition which lasts throughout the month of December. It is possible to view both astronomical dawn and dusk every day of the month of October.²

The maximum altitude of the Sun is > 18.00º in April and > 11.00º in May.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 57° south passes through:

58th parallel south

The 58th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 58 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. No land lies on the parallel — it crosses nothing but ocean.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 18 hours, 11 minutes during the December solstice and 6 hours, 27 minutes during the June solstice.⁴

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 58° south passes through:

59th parallel south

The 59th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 59 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. The only landmass on this parallel is Bristol Island.⁵

At this latitude the sun is visible for 18 hours, 30 minutes during the December solstice and 6 hours, 10 minutes during the June solstice.⁶

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 59° south passes through:

60th parallel south

The 60th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 60 degrees south of Earth's equatorial plane. No land lies on the parallel—it crosses nothing but ocean. The closest land is a group of rocks north of Coronation Island (Melson Rocks or Governor Islands) of the South Orkney Islands, which are about 54 km south of the parallel, and Thule Island and Cook Island of the South Sandwich Islands, which both are about 57 km north of the parallel (with Cook Island slightly closer).⁷

The parallel marks the northern limit of the Southern Ocean (though some organisations and countries, notably Australia, have other definitions) and of the Antarctic Treaty System. It also marks the southern boundary of the South Pacific Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone and the Latin American Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 18 hours, 52 minutes during the December solstice and 5 hours, 52 minutes during the June solstice. On December 21, the sun is at 53.44 degrees up in the sky and 6.56 degrees on June 21. The sun's altitude is exactly 30 degrees at either equinox.

The latitudes south of this parallel are often referred to as the Screaming 60s due to the prevailing high-speed, westerly winds which can generate large waves in excess of 15 m (50 ft) and peak wind speeds over 145 km/h (90 mph).⁸

The maximum altitude of the Sun is > 15.00º in April and > 8.00º in May.

The lowest latitude where white nights can be observed is approximately on this parallel.

During the summer solstice, nighttime does not get beyond nautical twilight, a condition which lasts throughout the month of December. It is possible to view both astronomical dawn and dusk every day between February 17 and October 24.

Around the world

Starting at the prime meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 60° south passes through:

61st parallel south

The 61st parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 61 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. No land lies on the parallel—it crosses nothing but the Southern Ocean.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 19 hours, 16 minutes during the December solstice and 5 hours, 32 minutes during the June solstice.⁹ On the December solstice, the sun's altitude is 52.44 degrees and on the June solstice, it is 5.56 degrees.

The lowest latitude where civil twilight can last all night lies approximately on this parallel.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 61° south passes through:

62nd parallel south

The 62nd parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 62 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 19 hours, 45 minutes during the December solstice and 5 hours, 9 minutes during the June solstice.¹⁰

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 62° south passes through:

63rd parallel south

The 63rd parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 63 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 20 hours, 19 minutes during the December solstice and 4 hours, 42 minutes during the June solstice. If the latitude in the southern hemisphere is 63º26' or smaller, it is possible to view both astronomical dawn and dusk every day of the month of March.¹¹

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 63° south passes through:

64th parallel south

The 64th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 64 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic mainland, the latter as the most northern latitude.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 21 hours, 1 minute during the December solstice and 4 hours, 12 minutes during the June solstice.¹²

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 64° south passes through:

65th parallel south

The 65th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 65 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 22 hours, 2 minutes during the December solstice and 3 hours, 35 minutes during the June solstice.¹³

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 65° south passes through:

66th parallel south

The 66th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 66 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane, about 61 km north of the Antarctic Circle. It crosses the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

This latitude also roughly corresponds to the minimum latitude in which midnight sun can last all night near the summer solstice.

At this latitude the sun rises on December 13 and does not set again until December 30.¹⁴

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 66° south passes through:

67th parallel south

The 67th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 67 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane, about 50 km south of the Antarctic Circle. It crosses the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 24 hours, 0 minutes during the December solstice (Summer solstice) and 1 hour, 29 minutes during the June solstice (Winter solstice). If the latitude in the southern hemisphere is 67°45′ or smaller, every day of the month of September can view both astronomical dawn and astronomical dusk.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 67° south passes through:

68th parallel south

The 68th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 68 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane, in the Antarctic. It crosses the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. At this latitude, the sun is visible for 24 hours, 0 minutes during the December Solstice, and civil twilight during the June Solstice.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 68° south passes through:

69th parallel south

The 69th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 69 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane, in the Antarctic. It crosses the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 69° south passes through:

70th parallel south

The 70th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 70 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. The parallel passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 70° south passes through:

71st parallel south

The 71st parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 71 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. The parallel passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 71° south passes through:

72nd parallel south

The 72nd parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 72 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. The parallel passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

This is the parallel where twilight/nighttime boundary on the equinoxes.

This is also the lowest parallel that golden hour occurs even at midnight sun, because the Sun is less than 6°00'00" above the horizon. Midnight sun without golden hour occurs at latitudes greater than 72°33'38.58804", i.e., about 666.8 km (414.3 mi) south of the Antarctic Circle in the case of the December Solstice.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 72° south passes through:

73rd parallel south

The 73rd parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 73 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. The parallel passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 73° south passes through:

74th parallel south

The 74th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 74 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. The parallel passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 74° south passes through:

75th parallel south

The 75th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 75 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. It passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 75° south passes through:

76th parallel south

The 76th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 76 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. The parallel passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 76° south passes through:

77th parallel south

The 77th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 77 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. The parallel passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 77° south passes through:

78th parallel south

The 78th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 78 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic. The parallel passes through the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 78° south passes through:

79th parallel south

The 79th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 79 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane in the Antarctic.

The parallel passes only through Antarctica and Antarctic ice shelves.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 79° south passes through:

80th parallel south

The 80th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 80 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane, and 10 degrees (690 miles/1100 kilometers) north of the United States Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Regions south of this latitude are excluded from UTM zones.

This line of latitude passes only through Antarctica and Antarctic ice shelves.

Around the world

Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 80° south passes through:

See also

• Circles of latitude between the 50th parallel south and the 55th parallel south
• Antarctica

Notes

References

1. "Daylight or Darkness Duration Table for One Year". Archived from the original on 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2016-08-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20161012054243/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=56&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩

2. "Daylight or Darkness Duration Table for One Year". Archived from the original on 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2016-08-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20161012054237/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=57&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩

3. "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition" (PDF). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf ↩

4. "Daylight or Darkness Duration Table for One Year". Archived from the original on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2016-08-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20161105011544/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=58&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩

5. The parallel appears to cut through the boundary of the island as shown on Google Earth. ↩

6. "Duration of Daylight for 2016: Zone: 2h West of Greenwich". Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180130145405/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=59&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩

7. Maxar Technologies (2021). "Southern Thule" (Map). Google Earth. Retrieved 5 January 2023. /wiki/Google_Earth ↩

8. Sinert, Richard. "The Furious 50s and Screaming 60s". mydaywithbarkly. Retrieved 2009-07-11. http://mydaywithbarkly.blogspot.com/2006/08/furious-50s-and-screaming-60s.html ↩

9. "Duration of Daylight for 2016: Zone: 2h West of Greenwich". Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161012054227/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=61&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩

10. "Duration of Daylight for 2016: Zone: 2h West of Greenwich". Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170510112954/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=62&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩

11. "Duration of Daylight for 2016: Zone: 2h West of Greenwich". Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170510112943/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=63&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩

12. "Duration of Daylight for 2016: Zone: 2h West of Greenwich". Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170510112948/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=64&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩

13. "Daylight or Darkness Duration Table for One Year". aa.usno.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2016-08-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20161012054249/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=65&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩

14. "Duration of Daylight for 2016: Zone: 2h West of Greenwich". Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170510112942/http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_durtablew.pl?form=2&year=2016&task=-1&place=&lon_sign=-1&lon_deg=90&lon_min=0&lat_sign=-1&lat_deg=66&lat_min=0&tz=2&tz_sign=-1 ↩