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Fairbanks is located at latitude 64.8 degrees north, so the north celestial pole is always 64.8 degrees above the horizon. Polaris itself is presently about 0.7 degrees from the celestial pole, so its altitude above the horizon will vary between 64.1 and 65.5 degrees during the course of a sidereal day.
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∙ 15y ago
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What is the relation between a particular latitude and the angle of polaris above the horizon at that latitude?
whatever latitude you are at, that is the angle to polaris.. and the other way around
What happens to the altitude of polaris as you move west?
The angle of Polaris above the northern horizon increases.
How do you measure latitude by polaris?
Polaris (or the North Star) is almost directly above the North pole. This means that when you stand on the north pole and look directly up, you will see Polaris. This also means that when you stand at the equator and look directly north, you will see Polaris on the horizon. You can not see Polaris from the Southern Hemisphere. The angle Polaris is above the horizon is equal to the degree latitude that you are standing on. Therefore at the equator, Polaris is 0 degrees above the horizon and at the north pole, Polaris is 90 degrees above the horizon.
How do you find the angle of the altitude of Polaris?
The angle of the altitude of Polaris is equal to the observer's latitude. However, this is only true if you are in the Northern Hemisphere. For example, at the North Pole it is directly overhead and at the equator it is on the horizon and at 45 degrees North it is 45 degrees above you.
The angle of the star Polaris above the northern horizon can be used to determine an observer's?
... lattitude.... lattitude.... lattitude.... lattitude.
How does the position of Polaris help people?
There are a couple of reasons that make Polaris, the north star, very useful. First of all, Polaris is not DIRECTLY above the North Pole; it's about two thirds of a degree off. But that's close enough so that if we assume that Polaris is exactly above the North Pole, you won't go very far off. So if you can see Polaris, you know which direction is north. If you measure the elevation angle above the horizon of Polaris, your reading is your latitude. No calculation is necessary!
How are the altitude of polaris and latitude of an observer related?
angle it makes with respect to horizon is equal to observers latitude. i.e. Philadelphia latitude 40 degrees so Polaris 40 degrees above horizon
What is the relationship between a particular latitude and the angle of Polaris above the horizon at that latitude?
The angle of Polaris above the northern horizon is very nearly equal to your north latitude, within about 1/3 of a degree. So it's over your head when you stand at the north pole, it sits nominally on your north horizon when you stand anywhere on the equator, and if you're south of the equator, you can never see it at all.
What is the angle of Polaris above the horizon at New Orleans Louisiana?
The angle of Polaris above the horizon is the same as the latitude from which you are trying to measure it. Hollywood Florida has a latitude of ~26 degrees, so Polaris is 26 degrees above the northern horizon.
How did stars help us find are way north to south?
In the northern hemisphere, we used to rely on locating where Polaris is in the sky, which is almost directly over the North Pole. The angle of Polaris above the horizon corresponds to your latitude so Polaris helped many sea navigators to find their was north or south.
What is the approximate latitude of Polaris in New York?
Polaris (the "North Star") doesn't have a latitude. But that's OK, because latitude is not what you're looking for. You're really trying to ask for its "elevation" ... the angle between the horizon and Polaris in the sky. That angle is equal to the observer's north latitude, so it would be easy to answer if we knew what location you're actually interested in. Here are a few possibilities: -- Massena NY . . . . . 44.9° above the northern horizon -- Rochester NY . . . . 43.2° above the northern horizon -- Buffalo NY . . . . . . 42.9° above the northern horizon -- 85th St Transverse in Central Park, Manhattan . . . 40.8° above the northern horizon
How many degrees is the north star above the horizon in seattle?
Seattle's latitude is about 47.6 degrees North. So the altitude of Polaris above the northern horizon is always within about 1/3 degree of that angle as seen from there.
