In astronomy, the hour circle, which together with declination and distance (from the planet's centre of mass) determines the location of any celestial object, is the great circle through the object and the two celestial poles.[1] As such, it is a higher concept than the meridian as defined in astronomy, which takes account of the terrain and depth to the centre of Earth at a ground observer's location. The hour circles, specifically, are perfect circles perpendicular (at right angles) to the celestial equator. By contrast, the declination of an object viewed on the celestial sphere is the angle of that object to/from the celestial equator (thus ranging from +90° to −90°).
The location of stars, planets, and other similarly distant objects is usually expressed in the following parameters, one for each of the three spatial dimensions: their declination, right ascension (epoch-fixed hour angle), and distance. These are as located at the vernal equinox for the epoch (e.g. J2000) stated.[2]
A meridian on the celestial sphere matches an hour circle at any time. The hour circle is a subtype whereby it is expressed in hours as opposed to degrees, radians, or other units of angle. The hour circles make for easy prediction of the angle (and time due to Earth's fairly regular rotation, approximately equal to the time) between the observation of two objects at the same, or similar declination. The hour circles (meridians) are measured in hours (or hours, minutes, and seconds); one rotation (360°) is equivalent to 24 hours; 1 hour is equivalent to 15°.
An astronomical meridian follows the same concept and, almost precisely, the orientation of a meridian (also known as longitude) on a globe.
See also[edit]
In astronomy and celestial navigation, the hour angle is one of the coordinates used in the equatorial coordinate system to give the direction of a point on the celestial sphere. The hour angle of a point is the angle between two planes: one containing Earth's axis and the zenith (the meridian plane), and the other containing Earth's axis and the given point (the hour circle passing through the point).
The angle may be expressed as negative east of the meridian plane and positive west of the meridian plane, or as positive westward from 0° to 360°. The angle may be measured in degrees or in time, with 24h = 360° exactly.
In astronomy, hour angle is defined as the angular distance on the celestial sphere measured westward along the celestial equator from the meridian to the hour circle passing through a point.[1] It may be given in degrees, time, or rotations depending on the application.
In celestial navigation, the convention is to measure in degrees westward from the prime meridian(Greenwich hour angle, GHA), from the local meridian (local hour angle, LHA) or from the first point of Aries (sidereal hour angle, SHA).
The hour angle is paired with the declination to fully specify the location of a point on the celestial sphere in the equatorial coordinate system.[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hour_angle
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