Chimborazo Day
Chimborazo Day celebrates the spot on the Earth that is closest to the moon and farthest from the center of the Earth. Chimborazo is an inactive volcano that is in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes Mountains in central Ecuador, and has an elevation of 20,565 feet. Although Chimborazo has a lower elevation than Mt. Everest, because of its spot near the Equator it is the farthest from the Earth's center and closest to the moon. The Earth is not a perfect sphere, but rather it is an oblate spheroid. The Equatorial diameter is larger than the Polar diameter, and Chimborazo lies close to the former. Being that it lies on this Equatorial bulge, it sticks about a mile and a half farther into space than Mt. Everest.
How to Observe Chimborazo Day
For eighty years during the 19th century men and women tried to reach the peak of Chimborazo before succeeding. To celebrate Chimborazo Day you may want to get as far away from center of the Earth as possible. Climb a hill! Climb a tower! Climb a mountain! You will be just a little bit closer to the place in space that Chimborazo holds.