polar distance

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. codeclination.

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polar distance British  

noun

1. Also called: codeclination.  the angular distance of a star, planet, etc, from the celestial pole; the complement of the declination

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Etymology

Origin of polar distance

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polar distance

P M is the polar distance of M from P, or P B the polar distance of B from P. The true altitude of a celestial body is its angular height from the true horizon.

From Lectures in Navigation by Draper, Ernest Gallaudet

A manuscript catalogue of all the nebulæ and clusters, reduced to 1,800, and arranged in zones of 1° in polar distance; by Miss Carolina Herschel.

From Sir William Herschel: His Life and Works by Holden, Edward Singleton

Many stars satisfy the condition of equality of polar distance with that of g Draconis, but few were bright enough to be observed in Molyneux's telescope.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

I hope, some day, myself to have another instrument made with a more readily changeable polar distance, with trace and guide points working in the same vertical, and a wheel permitting of inverse summation.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 794, March 21, 1891 by Various

Instead of it is frequently used the complementary angle ZOP, known as the polar distance of the body.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various