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The equator is a circle of latitude that divides a spheroid, such as Earth, into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. On Earth, the Equator is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about 40,075 km (24,901 mi) in circumference, halfway between the North and South poles. [ 1]
The celestial equator is defined to be infinitely distant (since it is on the celestial sphere); thus, the ends of the semicircle always intersect the horizon due east and due west, regardless of the observer's position on Earth. At the poles, the celestial equator coincides with the astronomical horizon. At all latitudes, the celestial equator ...
Model of the equatorial coordinate system. Declination (vertical arcs, degrees) and hour angle (horizontal arcs, hours) is shown. For hour angle, right ascension (horizontal arcs, degrees) can be used as an alternative. The equatorial coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system widely used to specify the positions of celestial objects.
The ecliptic or ecliptic plane is the orbital plane of Earth around the Sun. [ 1][ 2][ a] From the perspective of an observer on Earth, the Sun's movement around the celestial sphere over the course of a year traces out a path along the ecliptic against the background of stars. [ 3] The ecliptic is an important reference plane and is the basis ...
Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pole, with 0° at the Equator. Lines of constant latitude, or parallels, run east–west as circles parallel to the equator. Latitude and longitude are used together as a coordinate pair to specify a location on the surface of the Earth.
The equator is the circle that is equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole. It divides the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere . Of the parallels or circles of latitude, it is the longest, and the only ' great circle ' (a circle on the surface of the Earth, centered on Earth's center).
Hemispheres of Earth. In geography and cartography, hemispheres of Earth are any division of the globe into two equal halves ( hemispheres ), typically divided into northern and southern halves by the Equator or into western and eastern halves by the Prime meridian. Hemispheres can be divided geographically or culturally, or based on religion ...
In astronomy, declination (abbreviated dec; symbol δ) is one of the two angles that locate a point on the celestial sphere in the equatorial coordinate system, the other being hour angle. The declination angle is measured north (positive) or south (negative) of the celestial equator, along the hour circle passing through the point in question.