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Research topic:celestial meridian

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celestial meridian

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

celestial meridian vertical circle passing through the north celestial pole and an observer's zenith . It is an axis in the altazimuth coordinate system .


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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press

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CELESTIAL POLE
; No Story Read more
ASK THE GLOBE
; ...South Star? J.T., Melrose A. Unlike the north celestial pole, the south celestial pole is not marked by any particular star, according...bright star is located close to the north celestial pole, because it makes finding the pole a lot... Read more
POLARIS AND CRUX HELP US FIND OUR WAY.(LOCAL)(CURIOSITIES)(Column)
; ...what astronomers call the North Celestial Pole, which is simply that point in...convenient bright star near the South Celestial Pole. Instead, folks who live in the...intersect very near the South Celestial Pole, said Lattis. Read more
Surveying solutions.(The PZS Triangle)(Brief Article)
; ...circle through the star (C) The vertical circle through the star and the observer's meridian (D) The vertical circle through the star and its hour...angle is the angle between the vertical circle through the star and the observer... Read more
Medieval Arab navigation on the Indian Ocean: latitude determinations.
; ...observer on earth is the altitude of the north or south celestial pole. No star is located exactly at either celestial pole, but the Pole Star is not far from the north celestial pole, making a small orbit about it once every twenty-four... Read more
The North Star we don't know
; ...remarkably close. Polaris misses the north celestial pole by less than 1 degree -- less than...finger held at arm's length. The "north celestial pole" is the point in the sky directly above...in Caesar's time. In fact, the north celestial pole in those days was closer to Kochab... Read more
Twinkle twinkle Northern Star
; ...prominent pole star that lies closest in the sky to the north celestial pole, and which appears directly overhead to an observer at the...Polaris; the faint star Octantis is closest to the south celestial pole. However, the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross, points... Read more
FROM OUR PAGES: MAY 22, 1906; GLOBE OF DEATH WOWS 'EM.(CNY)
; ...Clarke rides solo - with a motorcycle. When he fires up the engine, the audience catches its breath as the rider, gaining sufficient momentum, suddenly swoops to the bottom of the globe and loops the loop time after time in a vertical circle. Read more
New study shows first stars developed rapidly.
; ...the universe's infancy. The Hubble Space Telescope stared at one spot near the north celestial pole in 1995, and two spots near the south celestial pole in 1998, to gather ghostly images of the most primordial galaxies ever seen. Kenneth... Read more
The Sky at Night
; ...the dome of the sky appears to turn because of the rotation of the Earth. There is no equivalent star to mark the south celestial pole. Polaris is readily found with the help of the so-called "Pointers" in the Plough. Kochab is of similar brilliancy but the... Read more

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

meridian, celestial
meridian, celestial A great circle on the celestial sphere that joins the north and south points on an observer's horizon, passing through the zenith and the celestial poles. When a celestial object crosses an observer's meridian it is said to be at culmination or in transit . Read more
celestial meridian
celestial meridian See meridian, celestial . Read more
Celestial Intermediate Reference System
Celestial Intermediate Reference System (CIRS) A geocentric coordinate system based upon the present position of the celestial pole but with right ascensions reckoned from a point called the Celestial Intermediate Origin (CIO) instead of the equinox. The CIO is a point on the celestial equator at ... Read more
celestial pole
...at which the earth's axis of rotation intersects the celestial sphere . The celestial pole is important as a reference point in the equatorial coordinate system ; the celestial meridian passes through it, as do the hour circles of the stars...polestar (see Polaris ) lies within 0.5° of the north ... Read more
transit, meridian
transit, meridian The instant at which a celestial object crosses the observer's meridian. When in transit, an object is at its highest altitude above the horizon and has an hour angle of 0 h. Meridian transit is also known as culmination or meridian passage . Read more

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