Questions tagged [ascension]

The tag has no usage guidance.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
19 votes
3 answers
10k views

Could someone explain RA/dec in simple terms?

The equatorial coordinate system isn't too complicated. However, for people new to this, it seems rather intimidating at first. Is there an easy way to explain it?
Manishearth's user avatar
  • 4,949
9 votes
1 answer
18k views

Calculation of right ascension and declination

I am confused about this problem: If I see an object from Mount Teide (longitude is 16"30'E and latitude is 28"18'N) that passes the meridian (azimuth=0) at 5h (am) UTC, and I also know that the ...
Jackson Hart's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
511 views

Low precision GMST formula clarification

According to the website http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/GAST.php, a low-precision way of calculating the GMST is via the following formula: GMST = 18.697374558 + 24.06570982441908 D The website ...
Joshua D'Agostino's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
546 views

How do I find the RA of sunset and sunrise in a specific location?

I want to make some observations with a telescope in Hawaii on Mauna Kea but I am living somewhere else (not Hawaii) and I want to plan a night's viewing on the Hawaiian telescope. How do I find the ...
user2396's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
95 views

iteration to cover the whole sky with right ascension, declination, angle

I am sure I get parts of the terminology wrong but if anyone can shed some light in the following: I understand that for a given right ascension (RA) and declination (DEC), one has defined a ray (...
Marcus Junius Brutus's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
273 views

Does the retrograde movement affect the true angular distance between 2 planets?

I need to calculate the relative angular path between two planets in the geocentric view or in other words the number of degrees of a circle one planet travels away from another planet around the ...
mac13k's user avatar
  • 125
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

How to find maximum and minimum right acsension and declination based on the telescope's location?

If I am to apply at a telescope for viewing objects, how to determine (easily) what is the minimum and maximum possible RA and DEC visible from that telescope during that time of the year. For eg, ...
jussi harmamen's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
193 views

Ecliptic plane, its precise definition useful for calculations

My question is similar to the one posted by Abtract, whom however never got a useful answer. I am trying to calculate from scratch the exact times of sunrise and sunset anywhere on earth taking into ...
Jens's user avatar
  • 121
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

Calculating Right Ascension and Declination from Latitude / Longitude / Time

I have a latitude / longitude / time of a location on Earth, I need to calculate the Right Ascension / Declination that's overhead at the time provided. So far I've found out that Right Ascension is ...
scottinthebooth's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
317 views

Declination and Ascension - the Sun and Andromeda

If Andromeda is overhead at midnight, what is the right ascension of the sun? (andromeda is ar RA =1hr, Dec = +40). I thought I understood what Dec and RA were, but I can't think of how to start this ...
Jbarrell's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Calculate right ascension in Zenith at this moment in my location

I've been searching on Internet about how to calculate which RA is in zenith at a given location in a given time but I haven't find anything (or maybe I don't know how to search). Using my star ...
VansFannel's user avatar