Celestial Sphere And

Equinoctial system
of coordinations
Group 3
 Learning Outcomes:
• Describes the celestial sphere
• Explains the apparent annual motion of the sun and the concept of
the ecliptic.
• Defines ‘celestial poles’, ‘celestial meridians’, ‘equinoctial’ and
the ‘obliquity of the ecliptic’.
• States that the equinoctial as a fixed reference plane and the
direction of the First Point of Aries as a reference direction
(ignoring the effect of precession).
• Describes the equinoctial system of coordinates and defines
sidereal hour angle, declination and polar distance.
• Information from the star diagrams in the Nautical Almanac or
equivalent star finding device.
 What is a
Celestial
Sphere?
The celestial sphere is an imaginary
infinite sphere surrounding the Earth
and where the astronomical bodies
appear to be located. All the planets,
moon, sun, and stars in this sphere
are also assumed to have the same
distance to the earth’s surface.
Understanding this is important
because the position of a celestial
body in the celestial sphere
corresponds to a geographical
position (GP) on the earth’s surface.
 Describing the
Celestial Sphere
• Observer's Zenith and Nadir: The points
directly above and below an observer.
• Celestial Poles: The projections of Earth's
poles onto the celestial sphere.
• Celestial Equator: The projection of
Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere,
dividing it into the Northern and
Southern celestial hemispheres.
• Horizon: The plane perpendicular to the
observer’s zenith. A horizon is an
apparent line where the sky meets the
Earth or sea and is used to get the
altitude of a body.
• EARTH - CELESTIAL SPHERE
• Equator - Celestial Equator
• Prime Meridian - Celestial
Greenwich
• Latitude - Declination
• Longitude - Right Ascension
(RA)
• North Pole - North Celestial
Pole
• South Pole - South Celestial
Pole
• Celestial Poles : The celestial poles are the two points where
the projection of the Earth’s rotation axis intersects with the
celestial sphere.
• Celestial Meridians: The celestial meridian is an imaginary
line that passes through the celestial poles, the zenith, and
the horizon. It is a great circle on the celestial sphere that
divides the sky into eastern and western halves.
• Equinoctial (Celestial Equator): Relating to an equinox or to
a state or the time of equal day and night. Relating to the
regions or climate on or near the equator.
Apparent Annual Motion of the
Sun and the Concept of the
Ecliptic
• Sun’s Apparent Motion:
The Sun appears to move eastward relative to the stars due
to Earth's orbit around it.
• The Ecliptic:
The apparent annual path of the Sun on the celestial
sphere.
It is inclined at an angle of about 23.5° to the celestial
equator.
This inclination is called the obliquity of the ecliptic.
• Seasonal Effects:
Solstices (longest and shortest days) occur when the Sun
reaches its highest or lowest point relative to the celestial
equator.
Equinoxes occur when the Sun crosses the celestial equator.
 The sun’s motion is apparent, caused entirely by the movement of

Sun’s
the Earth. Our planet both spins on its axis and orbits the Sun.
These two motions combine together to create the Sun’s apparent
motion.

Apparent The apparent motion of the sun, caused by the rotation of the
Earth about its axis, changes the angle at which the direct

Motion component of light will strike the Earth. From a fixed location on
Earth, the sun appears to move throughout the sky. The position of
the sun depends on the location of a point on Earth, the time of day
and the time of year. This apparent motion of the sun is shown in
the figure above..
 The
Ecliptic

The ecliptic is an imaginary line on the sky that marks the path of the sun. The moon and planets also
travel along the path of the ecliptic. It’s the projection of Earth’s orbit onto the celestial sphere, and it
marks the plane of the solar system. Tracing the paths of the planets in front of the background stars,
you’ll see that the ecliptic passes through the constellations of the zodiac.

The ancients were able to predict when eclipses would occur by paying attention to the movement of
bodies along the ecliptic. This invisible line across the sky is the starting point for the celestial
coordinate system used by astronomers to pinpoint the location of every star, nebula and galaxy.
 Obliquity
of the
ecliptic
It is the angle between the Earth's
equator and the ecliptic, or its
orbital plane. The ecliptic is
inclined at 23.44° to the plane of
the celestial equator; this
inclination is called the obliquity of
the ecliptic. The two points of
intersection of the ecliptic and the
plane mark the vernal and
autumnal equinoxes.
 Reference
Planes and
Directions
Equinoctial as a Fixed Reference Plane:
The equinoctial is a fixed reference plane on the
celestial sphere that's used to measure the
declination of astronomical bodies. It's also
known as the equinoctial circle. Equinoctial is the
great circle on the celestial sphere which is
equidistant from the celestial poles or whose
plane is same as the plane of equator. This is the
reference plane from which declination of
astronomical bodies is measured north or south.
It is the celestial meridian that passes through
Greenwich.
 Direction of the First
Point of Aries as a
reference direction
The first point of Aries is a direction in the sky that
marks the vernal equinox, or the beginning of
spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It's the point
where the Sun crosses the celestial equator from
south to north. The ecliptic intersects the
equinoctial at two points called the equinoctial
points. The equinoctial point when the Sun appears
to cross the Equinoctial from South to North is
called first point of Aries and is denoted by symbol
γ. This occurrence takes place on 21st March, at
Vernal Equinox. The first point of Aries is
considered as fixed point on the celestial sphere
 Equinoctial
System of
Coordinates
The equinoctial coordinate system,
also known as the equatorial
coordinate system, is a celestial
coordinate system that specifies
the position of celestial objects.
The coordinates used to define the
position of a celestial body on the
celestial sphere in the equinoctial
system are Declination and
Greenwich Hour Angle. This system
of coordinates is used in Nautical
Almanac to define the position of
celestial body at any instant of the
year.
 Sidereal Hour Angle (SHA): SHA of a
Declination: It is the arc of Polar Distance: Polar distance
celestial body is an hour angle the arc
celestial meridian passing in celestial navigation is the
of the Equinoctial or the angle at the
through the body contained celestial pole contained between the angle between the pole and the
between the Equinoctial and the celestial meridian of the First point of Position of body on its
body. It may be also defined as Aries and that through the body, Declination. Here body will be
arc of celestial meridian or the measured westward from Aries. The
on declination circle ( XY). The
sidereal hour angle (SHA) of a body on
angle at the centre of the earth distance between PY or PX will
the celestial sphere is its angular
contained between the
distance west of the March equinox be the Polar distance of the
Equinoctial and the declination
generally measured in degrees body.
circle passing through the body.
Information from the
Star Diagram in the
Nautical Almanac or
Equivalent star
finding device
 What information is
found in the nautical
almanac?
Nautical Almanac includes: Tabulations
of the Sun, Moon, navigational planets
and stars to help determine positions at
sea when using a sextant. Times of
sunrise, sunset, twilights, moonrise and
moonset, phases of the Moon and
eclipses of the Sun and Moon to help
bridge crews plan observations.
What is a Star Finder?
A "star finder" in celestial navigation is a specialized tool,
typically a plastic circular chart with rotating overlays,
used to identify and locate specific stars in the night sky
for the purpose of calculating one's position on Earth by
measuring their altitude and azimuth, essentially acting as
a visual guide to help navigators pinpoint the exact
position of stars they need to sight for navigation
purposes.
What information do you get
from star diagram in the
nautical almanac?
1.Star Positions:
The star diagram displays the positions of selected navigational stars at specific times
throughout the year. These positions are typically given in terms of right ascension
and declination, which are celestial coordinates similar to longitude and latitude on
Earth.

2. Time Corrections:
Some star diagrams may include corrections for the effects of precession, nutation,
and aberration, which are astronomical phenomena that affect the apparent positions
of stars over time. These corrections help navigators accurately determine the
positions of stars at a given time.
3. Astrometric Data:
The star diagram may provide additional astrometric data for each star, such as its
apparent magnitude (brightness), spectral classification, and other characteristics.
This information can be useful for identifying stars and verifying their positions during
celestial navigation.

4. Grid for Plotting:

5.Spectral Classification:
Some star diagrams provide spectral classification information for each star. Stars are
categorized based on their spectra, which can indicate their temperature, luminosity,
and other characteristics navigation.
 Navigation Star
Chart
A navigation star chart is a map of the night sky that helps
identify stars and constellations for navigation purposes.
Navigators use star charts to determine their location at sea,
and astronauts have used them to navigate in space. In
addition to tables, star charts provide an aid to the navigator in
identifying the navigational stars, showing constellations,
relative positions, and brightness
 Star Finding
Device
A Sextant is primarily known for measuring the
angle between celestial objects, such as stars or
the sun, and the horizon, it is also used to
determine the altitude of celestial bodies above the
horizon. This altitude measurement, combined with
the time of observation, is used to calculate the
observer's position on Earth through celestial
navigation techniques. Therefore, a sextant plays a
crucial role in finding and determining the position
of stars and other celestial bodies during
navigation at sea.