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In astronomy, the altitude in the horizontal coordinate system and the zenith angle are complementary angles, with the horizon perpendicular to the zenith. The astronomical meridian is also determined by the zenith, and is defined as a circle on the celestial sphere that passes through the zenith, nadir, and the celestial poles .
Altitude (alt.), sometimes referred to as elevation (el.) or apparent height, is the angle between the object and the observer's local horizon. For visible objects, it is an angle between 0° and 90°. [b] Azimuth (az.) is the angle of the object around the horizon, usually measured from true north and increasing eastward.
Angles greater than 360° (2 π) or less than 0° may need to be reduced to the range 0°−360° (0–2 π) depending upon the particular calculating machine or program. The cosine of a latitude (declination, ecliptic and Galactic latitude, and altitude) are never negative by definition, since the latitude varies between −90° and +90°.
Pressure altitude is the elevation above a standard datum air-pressure plane (typically, 1013.25 millibars or 29.92" Hg). Pressure altitude is used to indicate "flight level" which is the standard for altitude reporting in the U.S. in Class A airspace (above roughly 18,000 feet).
The solar azimuth angle is the azimuth (horizontal angle with respect to north) of the Sun's position. [1] [2] [3] This horizontal coordinate defines the Sun's relative direction along the local horizon, whereas the solar zenith angle (or its complementary angle solar elevation) defines the Sun's apparent altitude.
By subtracting this from 90°, he would find that the zenith distance is 90°, which is his latitude. Observer C at the same time is at latitude 20°N on the same meridian, i.e. on the same longitude as Observer A. His measured altitude would be 70°, and subtracting this from 90° gives a 20° zenith distance, which in turn is his latitude. In ...
The azimuth is the angle between the north vector and the star's vector on the horizontal plane. [2] Azimuth is usually measured in degrees (°), in the positive range 0° to 360° or in the signed range -180° to +180°.
The elevation is the signed angle from the x-y reference plane to the radial line segment OP, where positive angles are designated as upward, towards the zenith reference. Elevation is 90 degrees (= π / 2 radians) minus inclination. Thus, if the inclination is 60 degrees (= π / 3 radians), then the elevation is 30 degrees ...