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Right ascension is measured eastward up to 24 h along the celestial equator from the primary direction. Right ascension (abbreviated RA; symbol α) is the angular distance of a particular point measured eastward along the celestial equator from the Sun at the March equinox to the (hour circle of the) point in question above the Earth. [1]
In astronomy, the March equinox is the zero point of sidereal time and, consequently, the right ascension and ecliptic longitude. [12] It also serves as a reference for calendars and celebrations in many cultures and religions.
Because it is a right-handed system, ecliptic longitude is measured positive eastwards in the fundamental plane (the ecliptic) from 0° to 360°. Because of axial precession , the ecliptic longitude of most "fixed stars" (referred to the equinox of date) increases by about 50.3 arcseconds per year, or 83.8 arcminutes per century, the speed of ...
Right ascension: 05 h 55 m 10.30536 s [3] Declination ... All stars more massive than about 10 M ☉ are expected to end their lives when their cores collapse, ...
Right ascension is usually measured in sidereal hours, minutes and seconds instead of degrees, a result of the method of measuring right ascensions by timing the passage of objects across the meridian as the Earth rotates. There are 360° / 24 h = 15° in one hour of right ascension, and 24 h of right ascension around the entire ...
Right ascension and declination as seen on the inside of the celestial sphere. The primary direction of the system is the vernal equinox, the ascending node of the ecliptic (red) on the celestial equator (blue). Declination is measured northward or southward from the celestial equator, along the hour circle passing through the point in question.
An object's right ascension and the local sidereal time can be used to determine the time of its culmination (see hour angle). The term meridian comes from the Latin meridies , which means both "midday" and "south", as the celestial equator appears to tilt southward from the Northern Hemisphere .
Right ascension: 05 h 16 m 41.35871 s [2] ... comparable to Canopus today. ... Detailed analysis shows that it is nearing the end of this stage and starting to expand ...