Encyclopædia Galactica Rami T. F. Rekola Tuorlan Astronomical Society Tuorla Observatory University of Turku

CooC - Coordinate Conversions (version 3.0)

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Horizontal coordinate system

Its reference plane is the tangent plane of the Earth passing through the observer; this horizontal plane intersects celestial sphere along the horizon.

One of the coordinates is azimuth, A; it is the angular distance of the vertical of the object from some fixed direction. Although the practice varies, in this programme azimuth is measured counterclockwise from north (i.e. west = 90 deg). The values are between 0 and 360 degrees, given in format (degrees minutes seconds).

The second coordinate is altitude, a, which is measured from the horizon along the vertical passing through the object. Its values are between -90 and +90 degrees, given in format (degrees minutes seconds). Values are positive for objects above the horizon and negative for objects below the horizon.

For more information on different coordinate systems, please check the corresponding encyclopædia article.




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