Altitude.
A star appears slightly higher than its actual position when viewed near the horizon due to atmospheric refraction. As light from the star passes through the Earth's atmosphere, it bends due to the varying density of air layers, particularly near the horizon where the atmosphere is thicker. This bending causes the light to follow a curved path, making the star seem elevated above its true geometric position. This effect is more pronounced for objects near the horizon compared to those directly overhead.
A star's altitude is the angle measured vertically from the horizon to the star's position in the sky. It indicates how high or low the star appears in the sky from a specific location on Earth. The altitude of a star changes as it progresses across the sky due to Earth's rotation.
The distance of a star on the horizon, measured in degrees, is called its azimuth. Azimuth is the angle measured clockwise from true north to the star's position in the sky. It can range from 0° (north) to 360° (back to north).
In the horizon coordinate system, azimuth is similar to longitude in the geographic coordinate system. Azimuth represents the direction of an object in degrees along the horizon, similar to how longitude represents the east-west position on Earth's surface.
That's the star's "azimuth".
The star is considered rising. Also, it is setting when it is the opposite (moving from above the horizon to below.)
This is probably about the "horizon coordinate system". Or, it's sometimes called the horizontal coordinate system. The system uses "altitude" and "azimuth" as coordinates. The azimuth is normally measured from due North as zero. So, that's the "three reference points", probably. Altitude is the angular height of a star above the horizon. Azimuth is the angle of a star measured along the horizon, from the pole.
This is probably about the "horizon coordinate system". Or, it's sometimes called the horizontal coordinate system. The system uses "altitude" and "azimuth" as coordinates. The azimuth is normally measured from due North as zero. So, that's the "three reference points", probably. Altitude is the angular height of a star above the horizon. Azimuth is the angle of a star measured along the horizon, from the pole.
This is probably about the "horizon coordinate system". Or, it's sometimes called the horizontal coordinate system. The system uses "altitude" and "azimuth" as coordinates. The azimuth is normally measured from due North as zero. So, that's the "three reference points", probably. Altitude is the angular height of a star above the horizon. Azimuth is the angle of a star measured along the horizon, from the pole.
This is probably about the "horizon coordinate system". Or, it's sometimes called the horizontal coordinate system. The system uses "altitude" and "azimuth" as coordinates. The azimuth is normally measured from due North as zero. So, that's the "three reference points", probably. Altitude is the angular height of a star above the horizon. Azimuth is the angle of a star measured along the horizon, from the pole.
A sextant measures the angle of elevation between the horizon and the north star. Along with charts, it can be used to calculate your position on the sea fairly accurately.
The angle between the north star and the horizon is roughly your position in degrees latitude.For example, look at the North Star and point one arm straight at it, and then hold your other arm level with the horizon. The angle between your arms is roughly the degrees of latitude of your location.
It is too high in the sky, given it's position near the North Celestial Pole (the North Star), It appears to rotate around the North Star, and in midwestern American latitudes it never dips below the horizon.
A star's altitude is the angle measured vertically from the horizon to the star's position in the sky. It indicates how high or low the star appears in the sky from a specific location on Earth. The altitude of a star changes as it progresses across the sky due to Earth's rotation.
The distance of a star on the horizon, measured in degrees, is called its azimuth. Azimuth is the angle measured clockwise from true north to the star's position in the sky. It can range from 0° (north) to 360° (back to north).
A sextant is an instrument used in navigation to measure the angle between a celestial body (like the sun or a star) and the horizon. By determining this angle, along with the time of the measurement, a navigator can use trigonometry to calculate their position on the Earth's surface.
The moon rises at different points on the horizon each night due to its orbit around the Earth, which causes its position relative to the Earth to change. This change in position causes the moon to rise at varying points along the horizon as seen from different locations on Earth.