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Help in an exercise
Last post 08-25-2009 04:53 AM by Treehopper. 3 replies.
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  • 08-14-2009 02:13 PM

    Help in an exercise

     Can someone help me in solving an exercise?

    I have this exercise where i'm give the right ascension (4h 35 min) and declination (22º 00') of the sun in June 1st 1983, and I'm asked the ecliptic latitude and longitude of the sun. I've used the well known conversion equation to get the values and I get zero for the ecliptic latitude and 62,5 º for longitude, but in the answers to this exercise the value of longitude is 70º 22'.

    Am i missing something? Some reduction of coordinates?? It would be weird if i needed to do some reduction of coordinates because i'm not asked for the coordinates at some specific time, so i assumed it must be at june 1st 1983. and in this case no conversion is need right?

     

    thank you!!

  • 08-24-2009 10:33 PM In reply to

    Re: Help in an exercise

    I ran your numbers through Voyager.  While they didn't perfectly line up, the "close enough" figures placed the sun at those coordinates at roughly 10:00 UTC. I ran into the same problem you did UNTIL I remembered to switch the coordinates to ecliptic rather than local horizon.  As soon as I did that, the value of 70° 22' (okay, actually 21' 38.2" to get nitpicky) popped into place.

    Hope that helps.  Sorry for the delay, I don't check these forums quite so often.

    Best regards and clear skies! 

    Signature
    Tim

    Meade ETX-125PE / Meade ETX-80-AT


    Syracuse, NY

  • 08-25-2009 03:04 AM In reply to

    Re: Help in an exercise

     Thanks man! That helped!

  • 08-25-2009 04:53 AM In reply to

    Re: Help in an exercise

     No problem, every once in a while I blow the dust off my brain just to prove to myself it's still up there!

    Signature
    Tim

    Meade ETX-125PE / Meade ETX-80-AT


    Syracuse, NY

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