ASTRONOMICAL SURVEYING

MD. MUNIRUL ISLAM

Sphere:
It is a solid, formed by the revolution of a circle.
Every point on its surface is equidistant from the center.
The section of a sphere by any plane is a circle.

Great Circle & Small Circle:

If the cutting plane passes through the centre of the sphere, the section of the sphere is called a great
circle; otherwise its a small circle.

Terrestrial Sphere:
Earth is known as the terrestrial sphere.
Radius largest at the equator and smallest at the two poles.
Ravg = 6370 km.

Celestial Sphere:
The imaginary sphere on which all the stars appear is known as
celestial sphere.
Surveyor is concerned with the angular positions of the stars, not
with their actual distances.

ASTRONOMICAL SURVEYING
MD. MUNIRUL ISLAM

Zenith and Nadir:

Zenith (Z) is the point on the celestial sphere vertically above the surveyors station.
Nadir (N) is the point on the celestial sphere vertically below the surveyors station.
ZN line coincides with the line of gravity.

Celestial Horizon:
It is the great circle traced upon the celestial sphere by a plane which is perpendicular to the ZN line, and
which passes through the centre of the earth.

Terrestrial Poles and Equator:

The terrestrial poles are the two points in which the earths axis of rotation meets the earth.
The terrestrial equator is the great circle of the earth which is right angles to the axis of rotation.

Celestial Poles and Equator:

If the earths axis exceeds, it will meet the celestial sphere in two points.
Great circle traced upon the celestial sphere by a plane which passes through the center of the
earth and perpendicular to the polar axes.

ASTRONOMICAL SURVEYING
MD. MUNIRUL ISLAM

Meridian:
Terrestrial Meridian: Great circles of the earth passing
through two poles.
Celestial Meridian: Great circles of the celestial sphere
passing through the two celestial poles.
Observers Meridian: Great circle passing through the
zenith, nadir and the Poles of celestial sphere.

Greenwich / Prime Meridian:

The meridian with a longitude of 0, adopted officially in 1884 as a reference line from which longitude
east and west are measured and as a basis for standardized time zones. It passes through Greenwich,
England, the site of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, which was founded in 1675 and which closed
except as a museum in 1998. The prime meridian, together with its opposite meridian having a longitude
of 180, divides the Earth roughly into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Vertical Circle:
Great circle of the celestial sphere, passing through
the Zenith and Nadir.
Right angle to Celestial Horizon.

Prime Vertical:
Vertical Circle right angle to the observers
meridian.
It passes through Zenith, Nadir and East, West
points.

ASTRONOMICAL SURVEYING
MD. MUNIRUL ISLAM

Latitude ():
Terrestrial latitude: Angular distance of any place on the earths surface north or south of the
equator, measured on the meridian of the place.
On equator it is 00 , on poles it is 900
Celestial latitude: It is the angle between Zenith and Celestial equator.
Co-latitude: Angular distance from Zenith to Pole (900 latitude).

Longitude ():
The longitude of a place is the angle between prime meridian and the meridian of the place.
It is measured on the Equator.
Its value varies from 00 ~ 1800 east or west.

ASTRONOMICAL SURVEYING
MD. MUNIRUL ISLAM

Altitude ():
Altitude of a heavenly body or star is the angular distance from
the horizon, measured on the vertical circle, passing through the
body.
It value varies from 00 ~ 900
Co-altitude / Zenith distance: Angular distance from heavenly
body to Zenith (900 altitude).

Azimuth (A):
Azimuth of a heavenly body is the angular distance between
the observers meridian and the vertical circle, passing
through the body.
It is measured on the Celestial Horizon.
It value varies from 00 ~ 1800 east or west.

ASTRONOMICAL SURVEYING
MD. MUNIRUL ISLAM

Declination ():
Angular distance from the celestial equator to the heavenly
body measured along the celestial meridian, passing through
the body.
On Cel.equator it is 00 , on Cel.poles it is 900
Co-declination: Angular distance from body to Pole (900
declination).

Hour Angle (H):

Angular distance between the meridian of the observer and
meridian through the star.
It is measured on the equator westward from the observers
meridian.
It value varies from 00 ~ 3600.

Ecliptic:
It is the great circle of the heavens, which the sun appears to describe on the celestial sphere, with
the earth as a centre, in a course of a year.
The plane of the ecliptic is inclined to the plane of equator at an angle of 23027.

ASTRONOMICAL SURVEYING
MD. MUNIRUL ISLAM

Equinoctial Points:
The points of intersection of the ecliptic with the equator are
known as equinoctial points or equinoxes.
The declination of sun is zero at these points.
The Vernal Equinox or the first point of Aries () on 21st
March is the point in which the sun crosses the equator from
south to north.
The Autumnal Equinox or the first point of Libra () on 23rd
September is the point in which the sun crosses the equator
from north to south.

Solstices:
The points on the ecliptic at which the north and the south declination of the sun are maximum
are known as solstices.
The point C2 at which the north declination of sun is maximum is called summer solstice.
The point C1 at which the south declination of sun is maximum is called winter solstice.

Right Ascension:
Angular distance between the meridian of the observer and meridian through the first point of
Aries ().
It is measured on the equator.
It value varies from 00 ~ 3600.