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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 curvature of the horizon is easily seen in this 2008 photograph, taken from a Space Shuttle at an altitude of 226 km (140 mi). The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all ...
In astronomy, coordinate systems are used for specifying positions of celestial objects (satellites, planets, stars, galaxies, etc.) relative to a given reference frame, based on physical reference points available to a situated observer (e.g. the true horizon and north to an observer on Earth's surface). [1]
A horizon is a boundary in spacetime satisfying prescribed conditions. There are several types of horizons that play a role in Albert Einstein 's theory of general relativity : Absolute horizon , a boundary in spacetime in general relativity inside of which events cannot affect an external observer
In astronomy, the meridian is the great circle passing through the celestial poles, as well as the zenith and nadir of an observer's location. Consequently, it contains also the north and south points on the horizon, and it is perpendicular to the celestial equator and horizon.
The advantage is that this notion of a horizon is mathematically convenient and does not depend on the observer, unlike apparent horizons, for example. The disadvantage is that it requires the full history (all the way into the future) of the spacetime to be known, thus making event horizons unsuitable for empirical tests. [ 4 ]
Celestial navigation by taking sights of the Sun and the horizon whilst on the surface of the Earth is commonly used, providing various methods of determining position, one of which is the popular and simple method called "noon sight navigation"—being a single observation of the exact altitude of the Sun and the exact time of that altitude ...
The comoving distance from an observer to a distant object (e.g. galaxy) can be computed by the following formula (derived using the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker metric): = ′ (′) where a(t′) is the scale factor, t e is the time of emission of the photons detected by the observer, t is the present time, and c is the speed of ...