MALE PROFESSOR: Um, the key to the pacific islanders' success was probably their location near the equator.

Para8

MALE PROFESSOR: What that meant was that the sky could be partitioned, divided up, much more symmetrically than it could farther away from the equator.

Para9

MALE PROFESSOR: Unlike the Vikings, early observers of the stars in Polynesia, or really, anywhere along the equator, would feel that they were at the very center of things, with the skies to the north and the skies to the south behaving identically.

请问老师，这里的

 farther away from the equator是介词短语作定语间隔修饰还是it呢？ 还是介词短语作地点状语呢？

The school is far (away) from my house.

我家离学校很远。

The sun is far (away) from the earth.

太阳离地球很远。

Your work is far from (being) satisfactory.

你的工作远远不能令人满意。

The patient is far from well.

病人离康复还差得远。

我知道，这些be动词后面的from sth是作表语。