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celestial sphere
noun
- the imaginary spherical shell formed by the sky, usually represented as an infinite sphere, the center of which is a given observer's position.
celestial sphere
noun
- an imaginary sphere of infinitely large radius enclosing the universe so that all celestial bodies appear to be projected onto its surface
celestial sphere
- An imaginary sphere with Earth at its center. The stars, planets, Sun, Moon, and other celestial bodies appear to be located on this sphere, and the sphere appears to rotate around the Earth's extended axis once every 24 hours, carrying the celestial bodies with it overhead and giving them their diurnal motions. The celestial sphere is essentially a spherical map of the sky that provides the basis for the coordinate systems used in celestial navigation and in specifying the positions and motions of celestial objects.
- See more at altazimuth coordinate system
Word History and Origins
Origin of celestial sphere1
Example Sentences
To replicate how humans perceive the celestial sphere, a team of researchers considered how the eye might travel randomly across this night sky.
In the fourth and third centuries BCE, Plato, Aristotle, and other philosophers went all in on the notion that the planets and stars were embedded in eternally rotating celestial spheres.
The fifth creation is the celestial Sphere, where for the first time we have motion in its revolutions.
When a star reaches the meridian in its course across the celestial sphere it is said to culminate or reach its culmination.
A star rising due east would traverse this great circle of the celestial sphere and set due west.
In Fig. 5, the outer arc again represents the path of the zodiac on the celestial sphere.
In Fig. 4, the outer circle represents the path of the zodiac on the celestial sphere.
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