Which statement aout declination is FALSE.
a. Polaris is almost at +90 degrees
b. Stars passing your zenith have a declination equal to your local latitude
c. Its origin is the celestial equator
d. It is measured eastward in units of time
e. It is much like latitude on the earths globe
To determine which statement about declination is FALSE, let's go through each statement and examine it:
a. Polaris is almost at +90 degrees: This statement is TRUE. Polaris, also known as the North Star, is located very close to the north celestial pole and has a declination of approximately +90 degrees.
b. Stars passing your zenith have a declination equal to your local latitude: This statement is TRUE. The zenith is the point in the sky directly above an observer. If a star passes through the zenith, it means it is located directly over the observer's geographic location. In such a case, the star's declination would indeed be equal to the observer's latitude.
c. Its origin is the celestial equator: This statement is TRUE. The celestial equator is the projection of the Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere. It serves as a reference point for measuring declination. The origin of declination is defined as 0 degrees and lies on the celestial equator.
d. It is measured eastward in units of time: This statement is TRUE. Declination is measured in degrees, similarly to latitude on Earth. However, another common method of measuring declination is in units of time, referred to as hours, minutes, and seconds of Right Ascension (RA). This is because the celestial sphere completes a full rotation in 24 hours, similar to the Earth completing a full rotation in 24 hours.
e. It is much like latitude on the Earth's globe: This statement is FALSE. Although declination is similar to latitude in some respects, it is not entirely the same. Declination measures how far north or south a celestial object is from the celestial equator, whereas latitude measures how far north or south a location is from the Earth's equator. While they both use degrees to measure distance, declination is specific to the celestial sphere, while latitude is specific to the Earth's surface.
Therefore, the FALSE statement is:
d. It is measured eastward in units of time.