Word Finder - declinations

definition

At a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north.

definition

At a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane.

definition

A refusal.

definition

(grammar) Declension.

definition

The act or state of bending downward; inclination.

example

declination of the head

definition

The act or state of falling off or declining from excellence or perfection; deterioration; decay; decline.

definition

Deviation.

This instrument moves only in the plane of the meridian on a horizontal east and west axis, and is used to determine the right ascensions and declinations of stars.

Since the transit circle is preferable to the equatorial for such observations wherein great accuracy is required, the declination and hour circles of an equatorial are employed, not for the determination of the right ascensions and declinations of celestial objects, but for directing the telescope with ease and certainty to any object situated in an approximately known position, and which may or may not be visible to the naked eye, or to define approximately the position of an unknown object.

Thus, any fixed telescope directed towards the mirror of a properly adjusted coelostat in motion will show all the stars in the field of view at rest; or, by rotating the polar axis independently of the clockwork, the observer can pass in review all the stars visible above the horizon whose declinations come within the limits of his original field of view.

Assuming, for example, that the northern star has the smaller right ascension, the instrument is first, with the aid of the stop, placed in the meridian towards the north; the verniers of the graduated circle g are set to read to the reading 40-2(Sn+Ss) where 0 is the approximate latitude of the place and Sn, Ss the declinations of the northern and southern star respectively; then the level frame h is turned till the levels k and I are in the middle of their run, and there clamped by the screw m, aided in the final adjustment by the adjoining slow motion screw shown in the figure.

Formerly attempts were made to determine parallaxes by measuring changes in the absolute right ascensions and declinations of the stars from observations with the meridian circle.

The large differences between these results, derived from the same material, depend mainly on the different systematic corrections applied by each astronomer to the declinations of Bradley.