celestial latitude
- noun
- /səˈlɛstʃəl ˈlætəˌtud/
- Specialized
:
latitud celestial
- The astronomer calculated the celestial latitude of the new star, determining its position in the sky.
Examples
-
The coordinates are celestial coordinates; right ascension is the celestial longitude and declination is the celestial latitude.
Academic text (1990) -
The minor axis of this ellipse runs north-south, and its length depends on the declination (celestial latitude) of the source (see box on p. 36).
Academic text (1996) -
To locate the planet, you need to know its celestial latitude and right ascension.
-
The celestial latitude of a body in the sky helps astronomers map its location relative to the celestial equator.
Synonyms
3
9.9
How far north or south a star is from the sky's equator
An angle north or south of the sky's equator measured in degrees and used with right ascension to find objects
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term is fully compositional: 'celestial' specifies the domain (the sky/space) and 'latitude' denotes an angular distance north or south, so together they mean angular distance on the celestial sphere. This parallels geographical 'latitude' and is cross-linguistically and conceptually transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun celestial latitude puts two ideas together: celestial means 'of the sky' and latitude is the way we measure how far north or south something is from the 'equator'. So it gives the picture of an invisible line across the sky and tells how far north or south a star or planet is, which is why astronomers use it to show a position.