In astronomy and surveying, altitude (sometimes called elevation) is one of the two coordinates of the horizontal coordinate system, and refers to the vertical angle from the horizon. The other coordinate is azimuth, which refers to the horizontal angle from the north. The altitude, α, of a star is given by: Astrometry: the study of the position of objects in the sky and their changes of position. ... Jump to: navigation, search Surveyor at work with a leveling instrument. ... In ballistics, the elevation is the angle between the horizontal plane and the direction of the barrel of a gun, mortar or heavy artillery. ... The horizontal coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system that uses the observers local horizon as the fundamental plane. ... This article is about angles in geometry. ... Horizon The horizon is the line that separates earth from sky. ... Azimuth is the horizontal component of a direction (compass direction), measured around the horizon toward the East, i. ...
where δ is the declination of the object, HA is its hour angle, and φ is the latitude of the observer. In astronomy, declination (dec) is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle. ... In astronomy, an objects hour angle (HA) is defined as the difference between the current local sidereal time (LST) and the right ascension () of the object: HAobject = LST - object Thus, the objects hour angle indicates how much sidereal time has passed since the object was on the local... Jump to: navigation, search Latitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter Ï, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ...
Altitude is the elevation of an object from a known level or datum, called zero level.
In aviation, the term altitude is used to describe elevation above mean sea level, the term height refers to elevation above a ground reference point and the term flight level is the elevation according to a standard pressure altimeter setting.
In North America and the UK altitude is usually measured in feet.
In astronomy, altitude is the angular distance of a heavenly body above the astronomical horizon as determined by the angle which a line drawn from the eye of the observer to the heavenly body makes with the plane of the horizon.
The reading of the apparent altitude, as determined by a telescope attached to a graduated circle, must be corrected for refraction by the atmosphere and for certain other effects to ascertain the true altitude.
The altitude of the north celestial pole, which is approximately that of the star Polaris, is equal to the observer's latitude.