Fundamental plane (spherical coordinates)
The fundamental plane in a spherical coordinate system is a plane which divides the sphere into two hemispheres. The latitude of a point is then the angle between the fundamental plane and the line joining the point to the centre of the sphere.[1]
For a geographic coordinate system of the Earth, the fundamental plane is the equator. Celestial coordinate systems have varying fundamental planes:[2]
- the equatorial coordinate system uses the celestial equator;
- the ecliptic coordinate system uses the ecliptic;
- the galactic coordinate system uses the Milky Way;
- the horizontal coordinate system uses the observer's horizon; and
- the Besselian coordinate system uses the Terminator (day/night boundary). This system is a rectangular (x,y,z) system (Cartesian coordinates)
See also
References
- ^ Rogers, Lucy (2008), It's ONLY Rocket Science: An Introduction in Plain English, Springer, p. 136, ISBN 9780387753782.
- ^ Newcomb, Simon (1906), A Compendium of Spherical Astronomy with Its Applications to the Determination and Reduction of Positions of the Fixed Stars, Macmillan, p. 92.