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In astronomy, declination (abbreviated dec; symbol δ) is one of the two angles that locate a point on the celestial sphere in the equatorial coordinate system, the other being hour angle. The declination angle is measured north (positive) or south (negative) of the celestial equator , along the hour circle passing through the point in question.
The declination in the example is 14°E (+14°). If, instead, the declination was 14°W (−14°), you would still “add” it to the magnetic bearing to obtain the true bearing: 40°+ (−14°) = 26°. Conversely, local declination is subtracted from a true bearing to obtain a magnetic bearing. With a local declination of 14°E, a true ...
Right ascension and declination as seen on the inside of the celestial sphere. The primary direction of the system is the March equinox, the ascending node of the ecliptic (red) on the celestial equator (blue). Right ascension is measured eastward up to 24 h along the celestial equator from the primary direction.
Declination (vertical arcs, degrees) and hour angle (horizontal arcs, hours) is shown. For hour angle, right ascension (horizontal arcs, degrees) can be used as an alternative. The equatorial coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system widely used to specify the positions of celestial objects .
Because the Moon is relatively close to the Earth, lunar parallax alters declination (up to 0.95°) when observed from Earth's surface versus geocentric declination, the declination of the Moon from the center of the Earth. Thus geocentric declination may be up to about 0.95° different from the observed declination.
A line graph of the Sun's declination during a year resembles a sine wave with an amplitude of 23.44°, but one lobe of the wave is several days longer than the other, among other differences. The following phenomena would occur if Earth were a perfect sphere , in a circular orbit around the Sun, and if its axis were tilted 90°, so that the ...
An equation which finds the sine, followed by the arcsin function, is recommended when calculating latitude/declination/altitude. Azimuth (A) is referred here to the south point of the horizon, the common astronomical reckoning. An object on the meridian to the south of the observer has A = h = 0° with this usage.
Magnetic declination from true north in 2000. Historically, the magnetic compass was an important tool for navigation. While it has been widely replaced by Global Positioning Systems, many airplanes and ships still carry them, as do casual boaters and hikers. [27] The direction in which a compass needle points is known as magnetic north.