CELESTIAL LONGITUDE

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does celestial longitude mean? 

• CELESTIAL LONGITUDE (noun)
  The noun CELESTIAL LONGITUDE has 1 sense:

1. (astronomy) the equatorial coordinate specifying the angle, measured eastward along the celestial equator, from the vernal equinox to the intersection of the hour circle that passes through an object in the sky; usually expressed in hours and minutes and seconds; used with declination to specify positions on the celestial sphere

  Familiarity information: CELESTIAL LONGITUDE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CELESTIAL LONGITUDE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(astronomy) the equatorial coordinate specifying the angle, measured eastward along the celestial equator, from the vernal equinox to the intersection of the hour circle that passes through an object in the sky; usually expressed in hours and minutes and seconds; used with declination to specify positions on the celestial sphere

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

celestial longitude; RA; right ascension

Context example:

one hour of right ascension equals fifteen degrees

Hypernyms ("celestial longitude" is a kind of...):

angular distance (the angular separation between two objects as perceived by an observer)

Domain category:

astronomy; uranology (the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole)