What is the astronomy definition for longitude?

Answer 1

A longitude is an angle. It is the angle, measured east or west along the

spherical surface of the Earth, between the Prime Meridian and the place

described by that longitude. Longitude are also called meridians, and measure how far east or west an object is from the Prime Meridian, a line of longitude which runs between the poles and through Greenwich, England.

Answer 2

In astronomy, longitude refers to the angular distance of a celestial object measured eastward along the celestial equator from the observer's meridian to the object's meridian. It helps locate objects in the sky based on their east-west positions.

Answer 3

Longitude in geography is an angular distance east or west on the earth's surface, measured by the angle contained between the meridian of a particular place and some prime meridian, as that of Greenwich, England, expressed either in degrees or by some corresponding different in time.

Answer 4

All absolute locations east of the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England and continuing 180 degrees around to the International Dateline (the Ante-Meridian) are designated as east longitude. It is actually kind of neat. If you go to Greenwich, there is a plaque on the ground that you can stand on and have one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one foot in the Western Hemisphere.

Answer 5

Longitude is analogous to the celestial coordinate system of "Right Ascension". However, due to the earths rotation there is no specific right ascension line that is related to one of earths longitude lines. Every second that goes by sees the right ascension lines over any person on earth slowly shift (with the stars) as the earth rotates.

To know which R.A. line is directly overhead involves knowing the time of day, and the time of year.

Latitude is a bit simpler

Latitude is the number of degrees above (or below) the northern horizon of the north star Polaris.

Latitude is analogous to the celestial coordinate system of "declination"

Answer 6

Longitude 180 degrees East and West is on the other side of the world to the Prime Meridian (zero Longitude) which passes through London, England. It is the basis for the International Date Line.

Answer 7

Lines of longitude run north-south and measure east-west.

Answer 8

Longitude is an angle in an east or west direction from the Prime Meridian.

Answer 9

That's like asking "What's the length of a ruler ?".

Longitude always refers to some places on the Earth. Once you

leave the surface of the Earth, there's no longitude.

Answer 10

Longitude are vertical lines spread all over globe. They help to track a location on the globe.