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In mathematics, a spherical coordinate system is a coordinate system for three-dimensional space where the position of a given point in space is specified by three real numbers: the radial distance r along the radial line connecting the point to the fixed point of origin; the polar angle θ between the radial line and a polar axis; and the ...
Coordinate systems in astronomy can specify an object's relative position in three-dimensional space or plot merely by its direction on a celestial sphere, if the object's distance is unknown or trivial. Spherical coordinates, projected on the celestial sphere, are analogous to the geographic coordinate system used on the surface of Earth.
They are written in terms of longitude (λ) and latitude (φ) on the sphere. Define the radius of the sphere R and the center point (and origin) of the projection (λ 0, φ 0). The equations for the orthographic projection onto the (x, y) tangent plane reduce to the following: [1]
Mercator 1569 world map ( Nova et Aucta Orbis Terrae Descriptio ad Usum Navigantium Emendate Accommodata) showing latitudes 66°S to 80°N. The Mercator projection ( / mərˈkeɪtər /) is a conformal cylindrical map projection presented by Flemish geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It became the standard map projection for ...
and λ is the longitude, λ 0 is the central meridian, φ is the latitude, and R is the radius of the globe to be projected. The map has area 4 π R 2, conforming to the surface area of the generating globe. The x-coordinate has a range of [−2R √ 2, 2R √ 2], and the y-coordinate has a range of [−R √ 2, R √ 2].
v. t. e. A geographic coordinate system ( GCS) is a spherical or geodetic coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on Earth as latitude and longitude. [ 1] It is the simplest, oldest and most widely used of the various spatial reference systems that are in use, and forms the basis for most others.
Coordinate system. The spherical coordinate system is commonly used in physics. It assigns three numbers (known as coordinates) to every point in Euclidean space: radial distance r, polar angle θ ( theta ), and azimuthal angle φ ( phi ). The symbol ρ ( rho) is often used instead of r.
In blue, the point (4, 210°). In mathematics, the polar coordinate system is a two-dimensional coordinate system in which each point on a plane is determined by a distance from a reference point and an angle from a reference direction. The reference point (analogous to the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system) is called the pole, and the ...