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Topic: Celestial observation

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	Longitude by Lunar Distance
		Right Ascension: The Right Ascension of a celestial body is the angle expressed in hours-minutes-seconds between that body and a point in the sky where the sun will be or was at the mooment it crossed the celestial equator during the spring equinox.
		The celestial equator is essentially the plane of the earth's equator projected to the celestial sphere, which, in turn, is the imaginary globe upon whose surface all celestial bodies are imagined to be affixed.
		Celestial Equator: The celestial equator is essentially the plane of the earth's equator projected to the celestial sphere, which, in turn, is the imaginary globe upon whose surface all celestial bodies are imagined to be affixed.
	www.lewis-clark.org /content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=2082 (740 words)

	Celestial mechanics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Celestial mechanics is a division of astronomy dealing with the motions and gravitational effects of celestial objects.
		Celestial motion without additional forces such as thrust of a rocket, is governed by gravitational acceleration of masses due to other masses.
		Celestial navigation is a position fixing technique that was the first system devised to help sailors locate themselves on a featureless ocean.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Celestial_mechanics (1173 words)

	Celestial navigation: Definition and Links by Encyclopedian.com
		Traditional navigation systems were based on observation of the relative position of the Sun, Moon and stars.
		So, when a navigator measures the angle to a celestial object, the navigator then knows that he is on a circle of positions which all have the same measured angle to the celestial object.
		In modern celestial navigation, a navigational almanac and trigonometric sight reduction tables permit navigators to measure the Sun, Moon, visible planets or any of 57 navigational stars at any time of day or night.
	www.encyclopedian.com /ce/Celestial-navigation.html (810 words)

	Encyclopedia :: encyclopedia : Navigation (Site not responding. Last check: )
		Celestial navigation systems are based on observation of the positions of the Sun, Moon and stars relative to the observer and a known location.
		In modern celestial navigation, a nautical almanac and trigonometric sight-reduction tables permit navigators to measure the Sun, Moon, visible planets or any of 57 navigational stars at any time of day or night.
		A sextant uses mirrors to measure the altitude of celestial objects with regard to the horizon.
	www.hallencyclopedia.com /Navigation (2245 words)

	SailNet Articles (Site not responding. Last check: )
		The second assumption is that all celestial bodies are located on the inside surface of a celestial sphere that is located at an infinite distance from the earth and rotates at an equal rate from east to west.
		All celestial bodies located on the inside surface of the celestial sphere (with the exception of the moon), rotate at a constant rate of 15 degrees per hour past the celestial meridians and the observer on the earth.
		Celestial bodies and the observer's zenith are positioned on the celestial sphere using a coordinate system similar to that of the Earth's.
	www.sailnet.com /collections/articles/index.cfm?articleid=sexton0071 (1889 words)

	Astrometry and Celestial Mechanics
		Astrometry was born to accurately mapping the positions of the "fixed" stars and recording the motions of the planets.
		Celestial mechanics is about calculating orbital elements for planets and such and predicting their future positions.
		Astrometry and celestial mechanics have been important in history for sailing (maritime navigation), since navigators used to calculate their position on Earth upon the observation of stars.
	www.astrometry.org (189 words)

	"Amateur Astronomy". Celestial Mechanics Definitions List
		In the northern hemisphere the celestial meridian begins on the northern horizon, passes through the north celestial pole, then overhead the observer (or zenith).
		The celestial meridian defines where celestial objects are reaching their highest point in the sky relative to observer.
		For the purpose of locating celestial objects on the celestial sphere the latter is subject to various coordinate systems.
	stars5.netfirms.com /definitions.htm (2244 words)

	Dead reckoning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The DR plot was often the only method used if, for example, the sky was overcast and a celestial observation could not be made.
		Before the development of the chronometer, dead reckoning was the primary method of determining longitude available to mariners such as Christopher Columbus and John Cabot on their trans-Atlantic voyages.
		With stellar observation, you are "live", working with the stars and the movement of the planet.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Dead_reckoning (553 words)

	Meridian Angle
		The angle measured at the observer’s position from the horizon to a celestial object along the vertical circle through the object is the altitude of the object.
		Your horizontal plane at the instant of observation is, of course, tangent to the earth’s surface at the point of observation; however, the altitude value used in computations is related to a plane parallel to this one but passing through the center of the earth.
		To determine the true azimuth of a line on the ground from a celestial observation, you must know the latitude of the point from which the celestial observation is made.
	www.tpub.com /inteng/15e.htm (734 words)

	Simplified Astronomy for Astrologers
		Distances north or south of the Celestial Equator are measured on the Hour Circle passing thru the heavenly body and are expressed as DECLINATION, from 0° at the celestial equator to 90° at the celestial poles.
		The HOUR ANGLE of a celestial body is the distance between the celestial meridian of the observer (which is his longitude), and the hour circle passing thru the body.
		Since the celestial meridian of the observer remains stationary with respect to a place on the earth (the observer’s Longitude), while the hour circle moves with the body as it circles the earth from east to west, hour angles always increase westward.
	lovestarz.com /astronomy.html (3210 words)

	Dioptra
		My first observations with the dioptra seemed to have little relation to those from the gnomon and took me a good deal of rethinking to relate the two.
		The protractors measure distance from the celestial equator and the angle of rotation of the tube.
		For me the effort observation takes is well worth it and I take this opportunity to recommend the rethinking of focused training together with a little serious observation involving counting and measuring.
	members.tripod.com /Bluestar_4/Dioptra.html (927 words)

	History Channel Search Results
		Observation of radiation in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, that is, between visible light and radio wavelengths, has revealed much about the atmospheric composition of planets in the solar system.
		Recent infrared observations have revealed hidden aspects of galactic structure, necessitating reclassification of a number of spiral galaxies.
		Since then, the development of large format arrays of reflectors that are sensitive to the near infrared has not only enabled imaging of hundreds of the faintest, most distant galaxies yet discovered but has also led to new theories of galactic evolution.
	www.historychannel.com /thcsearch/thc_resourcedetail.do?encyc_id=212699 (237 words)

	Making Observations
		It is through the study and observation of the heavens, and the movement and interaction of the celestial bodies that reside there, that a Moon Mage may gain insight into the future.
		It is important to know that when you predict the future for a particular skill, all observations of that skill set are used up, putting you back at ZERO stored observations for that skill set.
		When I use the term "successful observation", I mean that you made an observation that added at least one skill set to your observation pool.
	members.cox.net /eldrad/Observing.html (1324 words)

	Columbus
		The DR position could be updated by celestial observations obtained by observing Polaris, low grazing stars, and conjunctions according to the recent paper by Arne Molander who noted correlation of Columbus’ fixes with certain celestial events.
		If he were relying upon celestial observations to maintain this latitude line, he could verify his adherence to the course by observing the pole star with his quadrant or astrolabe (despite their susceptibility to error at sea).
		Since its declination (angle between the celestial body and the equatorial plane QQ’) is 90°, the polar distance to the horizon arc PH’ is equal to the latitude of the observer arc QZ.
	www.navworld.com /navcerebrations/columbus.htm (1828 words)

	The Celestial Sphere
		It is clear after only minimal observation that objects change their position in the sky over a period of time.
		Actually, all objects are slowly changing their relative positions on the celestial sphere, but for most the motion is so slow that it cannot be detected over timespans comparable to a human lifetime; only the "wanderers" have sufficiently fast motion for this change to be easily visible.
		Another important imaginary object on the celestial sphere is the "ecliptic" or "Road of the Sun", which is the imaginary path that the Sun follows on the celestial sphere over the course of a year.
	csep10.phys.utk.edu /astr161/lect/celestial/celestial.html (824 words)

	Lewis and Clark journey: Commentary on their celestial navigation.
		When observations of the Sun were made, at or about local noon, in the American midwest and west, then its declination would be required at that moment, which would be 6 to 8 hours later than Noon at Greenwich (depending on longitude).
		This chapter covers the celestial observations made by the expedition, from where they camped, near modern Cairo, at the confluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi, (which is covered in the last few pages of Moulton Chapter 1).
		Although he comments "the sun was reather dim, therefore it is possible that this observation may have been liable to a small error", we can calculate, assuming upper-limb as usual, a latitude of N 38° 34' 44"; which happens to be in exact agreement with the atlas value of N 38° 34' 42".
	www.huxtable.u-net.com /lewis02.htm (20884 words)

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		The basic principle of position finding by celestial observations consists in calculating altitude and azimuth of a celestial body as seen from the position one thinks one is located (the assumed position) and then comparing this calculated altitude with the measured altitude which is representative for the actual position.
		It is most convenient to perform the observation with two persons, one uses the sextant and gives a signal at the proper time of his observation to the second person, reading the chronometer.
		Enter the tables with the full hour GMT for the celestial body and note down the GHA and the declination Dec. Depending on the name of the body, additional data have to be taken [example: moon requires to note down data for v (variation) and d (difference)].
	members.aol.com /eckarts/outline1.htm (4413 words)

	NagpurTrade.com
		It has been located in Egypt, Greece, Spain, France, and other places, depending on which country was preeminent at the time in the study of location by celestial observation.
		Shortly after, Hipparcus devised the method of fixing the location of places on earth by observation of the celestial bodies--the sun, moon and stars.
		He worked out the mathematics of spherical trigonometry, which allowed the results of these observations to be plotted on an earth that he perceived to be a sphere.
	www.nagpurtrade.com /logitudelat.html (660 words)

	The Visitation of the Magi (Site not responding. Last check: )
		This is what led to their observation of the star.
		The ordinary understanding of a celestial observation such as a new star would have to do with local events.
		Celestial omens could deal with things as mundane as crop failures or as dramatic as victory over neighboring kingdoms.
	www.bibleonly.org /proph/dan/magi.html (2554 words)

	Did The Greeks Invent Astrology?
		The environment, whether celestial or earthly, was the vessel by which the Gods communicated their desires, intentions, and instructions to the civilizations on earth.
		This is clearly empirical observational science on the part of the Babylonians, an important part of the scientific aspect of astrological knowledge.
		Controlled observation in astronomic topics is difficult and can be achieved for example, by measurements of a star's location, such as the "bent light effect" hypothesized by Einstein to demonstrate theories of gravitational effect on light particles.
	www.astroconsulting.com /FAQs/did_the_greeks_invent_astrology.htm (2556 words)

	Exhibitions \| 2002 \| Russell Crotty: Globe Drawings
		Russell Crotty’s celestial drawings of nocturnal skies over Malibu, California, are a separate dominion, a place removed from the social and cultural anxiety produced by the state’s observation of the body politic.
		It’s amazing, like eavesdropping.” (1) Crotty’s (and our) observation of matter that may have already died but that looks completely viable and alive is wondrous, uncanny, and a bit melancholy.
		Crotty, whose love of and talent for celestial observation once gained him a prestigious project with NASA, became hooked at age 12 when he saw Jupiter through a telescope.
	www.kemperart.org /exhibits/CatalogEssays/crottyrussel.asp (948 words)

	ESA Portal - Information Notes - ISO, unique explorer of the invisible cool universe (Site not responding. Last check: )
		its task will be long-duration observation of celestial radiation sources, studying them with unparalleled sensitivity and precision.
		Some twenty filters select the infrared spectral range of the observations ("colours") and four optical lenses allow various magnification factors (from 1 to 8).
		Observation will concentrate on a particularly intriguing category of objects: ultraluminous galaxies, which emit twenty times more radiation in the infrared than in visible light and, overall, ten times more energy than ordinary galaxies.
	www.esrin.esa.it /export/esaCP/Pr_21_1995_i_EN.html (2098 words)

	Introduction to Celestial Navigation
		A sextant (for measuring the angle of celestial objects above the horizon,) an accurate clock that can be read to hours, minutes and seconds (four seconds error can put you off a mile) and, finally, a copy of the "Nautical Almanac" for the current year.
		One point is your assumed position and another is the nearest pole (north or south.) The third point is the geographical position (GP) of the celestial object that you observed.
		I enjoy making the observations and plotting the results more than I enjoy all the paperwork of looking things up in the Nautical Almanac and Sight Reduction Tables, so this works great for me. Of course, the real fun is being able to do it all and knowing different ways to do each thing.
	www.nav.org /cel/introduction.html (1429 words)

	Astronomy 303-Robbins-Spring 2000
		The required activities will involve making observations of celestial phenomena and drawing conclusions from the measurements you take and having an opportunity to discover many things for yourself.
		For example, some projects deal with night-time observations of the stars and planets, while Moon observations can be both night and day.
		The activities are going to be more concentrated at the beginning of the semester, to get observations started as soon as possible, so that long-term changes have more of a chance to show up.
	www.as.utexas.edu /astronomy/education/spring00/robbins303.html (905 words)

	[No title]
		Fixes obtained from the observation of stars and planets, highly accurate latitude lines obtained from the observation of Polaris at night or the Sun during the day, and calculations of gyro error can all be obtained by celestial means.
		The Nautical Almanac is used to obtain the exact declination and GHA of a celestial body at the moment of its observation for further use with the assumed position as entering arguments for the sight reduction form (App.
		Celestial Fix The theory behind a celestial fix was covered in lessons 16-18.
	www.owlnet.rice.edu /~nava301/presentations/Lesson19.ppt (2187 words)

	Positional Astronomy: <br>the first equatorial system
		is "the" celestial meridian, or the observer's meridian.
		from the celestial equator to X, measured from -90° at the SCP to +90° at the NCP.
		is the angular distance between the meridian of X and "the" celestial meridian.
	star-www.st-and.ac.uk /~fv/webnotes/chapter4.htm (621 words)

	Solar Astronomy in the Prehistoric Southwest
		The intersection of a plane tangent to the Earth's surface at the observer's location with the celestial sphere defines the observer's horizon, which is divided in four equal intervals by the North-South (NS) and East-West (EW) lines.
		Consider on Figure 5(B) a vertical plane defined by the points O, P and Z; this plane intersects the tangent plane along a line segment OA, where A is the point of intersection with the horizon.
		For accurate horizon observations, the use of far away geographical features is thus advantageous.
	www.hao.ucar.edu /Public/education/archeoslides/appendix.html (1673 words)

	USIGS Definitions and Descriptions - C
		That circle of the celestial sphere formed by the intersection of the celestial sphere and a plane through the center of the Earth and perpendicular to the zenith nadir line.
		A circle of the celestial sphere, parallel to the ecliptic.
		The ratio of the refraction angle at the point of observation to the angle at the center of the Earth which is formed by the observer, the center of the, Earth, and point observed.
	www.fas.org /irp/agency/nima/nug/gloss_c.html (9733 words)

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