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Azimuth is measured eastward from the north point (sometimes from the south point) of the horizon; altitude is the angle above the horizon. The horizontal coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system that uses the observer's local horizon as the fundamental plane to define two angles of a spherical coordinate system: altitude and azimuth.
The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometry, geographical survey, sport, or atmospheric pressure). Although the term altitude is commonly used to mean the height above sea level of a location, in geography the term elevation is often preferred for this usage.
At a given location during the course of a day, the Sun reaches not only its zenith but also its nadir, at the antipode of that location 12 hours from solar noon. In astronomy , the altitude in the horizontal coordinate system and the zenith angle are complementary angles , with the horizon perpendicular to the zenith.
ICAO further defines: elevation: "the vertical distance of a point or a level, on or affixed to the surface of the earth, measured from mean sea level." [2] I.e., elevation would be the altitude of the ground or a building.
Geodetic latitude and geocentric latitude have different definitions. Geodetic latitude is defined as the angle between the equatorial plane and the surface normal at a point on the ellipsoid, whereas geocentric latitude is defined as the angle between the equatorial plane and a radial line connecting the centre of the ellipsoid to a point on the surface (see figure).
A circle is divided into 360 degrees; subdivisions of the degree include the minute (1 ⁄ 60 of one degree) and the second (1 ⁄ 3600 of one degree). Degrees are commonly used to divide the roughly spherical shape of the Earth for geographic and cartographic purposes, e.g. when reporting latitudes and longitudes. [1] degree day
Meridian altitude is a method of celestial navigation to calculate an observer's latitude. It notes the altitude angle of an astronomical object above the horizon at culmination . Principle
The angle of climb can be defined as the angle between a horizontal plane representing the Earth's surface, and the actual flight path followed by the aircraft during its ascent. The speed of an aircraft type at which the angle of climb is largest is called V X. It is always slower than V Y, the speed for the best rate of climb. As the latter ...