Celestial coordinates.
-- The star's latitude on the celestial sphere is the same as the Earth latitude
that it seems to follow on its way aroujnd the sky. On the celestial sphere, the
latitude is called "declination", and is expressed in degrees.
-- The star's longitude on the celestial sphere is its angle, measured westward,
from the point in the sky called the Vernal Equinox ... the point where the sun
appears to cross the celestial equator in March. On the celestial sphere, the
star's longitude is called "Right Ascension", and it's expressed in hours. That
certainly seems confusing, but an "hour of Right Ascension" just means 15
degrees of celestial longitude. So, as the sky turns, the point directly over
your head moves through the stars by 1 hour of Right Ascension every hour.
If you are at a location with a latitude of 10 degrees north, a star with a declination of 10 degrees would be located directly overhead, at your zenith. This means the star is in the same plane as your latitude, making it the highest point in the sky relative to your position.
Fomalhaut has a declination of almost -30° (30° south), so it can be seen - at least in theory - at latitude 60° north, or anywhere south of that.
Who told you that ? There is no "why", because you certainly can. From the northern hemisphere, you can see stars with declinations down to (your latitude) minus (90°).
Subtract your latitude from 90° and that will give the the decollation of circumpolar stars. In northern New Zealand, my latitude is 35°. If I subtract that from 90°, I get 55°. So stars with Declination great than 55° are circumpolar for me.
It is only partly true. Stars have latitude and longitude just as we do on Earth, but they are called Declination and Right Ascension. A star that has a declination greater than 90 minus your latitude will never set. Such stars are called circumpolar stars. I live at 35° south so stars with declination 90-35=55° will never set. For example I can always see the Southern Cross.
No, the declination of a star is its angular distance north or south of the celestial equator, measured in degrees. So, a star located 30 degrees north of the celestial equator would have a declination of +30 degrees.
If you are at a location with a latitude of 10 degrees north, a star with a declination of 10 degrees would be located directly overhead, at your zenith. This means the star is in the same plane as your latitude, making it the highest point in the sky relative to your position.
Any star whose declination is higher than (90 - your latitude) will be "circum-polar", meaning that the star will never appear to set. The star Alkaid, one of the handle stars in the Big Dipper, has a declination of 49 degrees. If your latitude is 90-49=41 N, then the star Alkaid will never go below the horizon.
Indicating the position of a celestial object is similar to latitude latitude and longitude. But it is called right ascension and declination.
To determine if a star is circumpolar (never sets) when viewed from a northerly latitude, you can use the formula: 90° - latitude + declination >= 0. If the result is greater than or equal to zero, then the star is circumpolar from that latitude. The declination is the star's angular distance north or south of the celestial equator.
The usual device is a sextant, which measures the altitude (angle above the horizon) of stars or the Sun crossing the meridian (i.e. due south). The latitude can then be calcuated after looking up the declination of the object in tables, for example in the Nautical Almanac. A star (or the Sun) on the (celestial) equator has an altitude of 90 minus the latitude, so in general a star's altitude is 90 - latitude + declination, when it is due south. The ship's latitude is therefore 90 - altitude + declination. The distance from the equator in nautical miles is the latitude (in degrees) times 60.
The declination of a celestial object is the exact equivalent of latitude.
The distance around the map that the star spans is called the circumference.
The location of a star is typically measured using celestial coordinates such as right ascension and declination, which are similar to longitude and latitude on Earth. This allows astronomers to pinpoint a star's position in the sky relative to other celestial objects. Astronomers use telescopes and specialized equipment to accurately determine these coordinates.
The "declination" of a star is its position in the sky on the celestial sphere, which stays the same for any observer.You may be thinking about how high Polaris is above the horizon.That's its "altitude".The altitude of Polaris always equals the latitude of the observer.That's been a great help to seafarers for centuries.Polaris has a declination of nearly 90 degrees.From Glasgow, its altitude in the northern sky is equal to the latitude of Glasgow.The latitude of Glasgow is about 55.9 degrees.So, the altitude of Polaris in Glasgow is about 55.9 degrees.
To determine your latitude in the northern hemisphere using a star, measure the angle between the horizon and the star using a sextant. This angle is called the star's altitude. If you know the star's declination (which is constant), subtract it from 90 degrees minus the star's altitude to find your latitude.
Right Ascension in space is equivalent to Longitude on Earth but it is measured in hours minutes and seconds rather than degrees, minutes and seconds. 1 hour of RA is equivalent to 15° of longitude. Declination in Space is equivalent to Latitude on Earth. Both are measure in degrees, minutes and seconds. Declination is measured from the Celestial Equator, + being north and - being south, just like Latitude.