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Galactic Navigation
Measuring Latitude
Do you remember learning about how to measure latitude and longitude? On the
Earth, latitude measures how far north or south a place is from the Equator. For
example, France is at about 45 degrees ( o) north. It is halfway
between the Equator and the North Pole. The Equator is at 0o (neither north nor
south), and the North Pole is at 90o north. At what latitude is your
state or country?
Look at the Degrees Latitude diagram. This diagram illustrates how degrees of
latitude are measured in the galactic coordinate system. The galactic plane is
like the Equator. It is at 0o latitude. The Earth is on the galactic
plane. It is also at 0o latitude.
Look at the diagram and find the celestial objects. These may be stars, faraway
galaxies, supernova remnants, or any other kind of object in the universe. Look
at objects 1 and 2. Notice that object 1 is at -10o latitude and
object 2 is at +10o latitude. In galactic coordinates, we say plus and
minus instead of north and south.
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