Home > Terms > English (EN) > geocentric coordinate
geocentric coordinate
(1) One of a set of three coordinates, of a point, in a geocentric coordinate system. The coordinates are commonly represented by (λ, φ', r) where λ, the longitude, is the angle from a reference plane through the polar axis to the plane containing the polar axis and the point; λ', the geocentric latitude, is the angle from the equatorial plane to the radius vector to the point; and r, the geocentric distance or geocentric radius, is the distance of the point from the center. The letter Ψ is frequently used instead of φ'. Note that the origin (intersection of polar axis and equatorial plane, or center of reference ellipsoid if one is used) need not be at the Earth's center of mass or geometric center. The complete set of three geocentric coordinates is also called a geocentric position. (2) One of a set of coordinates designating the location of a point by means of (a) the angle from the plane of the celestial equator to a line from the center of the Earth to the point and (b) the angle from the plane of a selected, initial geodetic meridian to that line. The first angle is called the geocentric latitude. The term geocentric longitude is not used for the second angle because that angle is the same as the geodetic longitude. This definition properly applies only to the exceptional case where the plane of the equator passes through the center of the Earth and the polar axis of the reference ellipsoid coincides with the Earth's polar axis. (3) The longitude and latitude of a point (on the Earth's surface) relative to the center of the Earth. The Earth's center of mass is usually meant.
- Part of Speech: noun
- Synonym(s):
- Blossary:
- Industry/Domain: Earth science
- Category: Mapping science
- Company: American Congress on Surveying & Mapping
- Product:
- Acronym-Abbreviation:
Other Languages:
Member comments
Terms in the News
Billy Morgan
Sports; Snowboarding
The British snowboarder Billy Morgan has landed the sport’s first ever 1800 quadruple cork. The rider, who represented Great Britain in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, was in Livigno, Italy, when he achieved the man-oeuvre. It involves flipping four times, while body also spins with five complete rotations on a sideways or downward-facing axis. The trick ...
Marzieh Afkham
Broadcasting & receiving; News
Marzieh Afkham, who is the country’s first foreign ministry spokeswoman, will head a mission in east Asia, the state news agency reported. It is not clear to which country she will be posted as her appointment has yet to be announced officially. Afkham will only be the second female ambassador Iran has had. Under the last shah’s rule, Mehrangiz Dolatshahi, a ...
Weekly Packet
Language; Online services; Slang; Internet
Weekly Packet or "Paquete Semanal" as it is known in Cuba is a term used by Cubans to describe the information that is gathered from the internet outside of Cuba and saved onto hard drives to be transported into Cuba itself. Weekly Packets are then sold to Cuban's without internet access, allowing them to obtain information just days - and sometimes hours - after it ...
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
Banking; Investment banking
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is an international financial institution established to address the need in Asia for infrastructure development. According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia needs $800 billion each year for roads, ports, power plants or other infrastructure projects before 2020. Originally proposed by China in 2013, a signing ...
Spartan
Online services; Internet
Spartan is the codename given to the new Microsoft Windows 10 browser that will replace Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer. The new browser will be built from the ground up and disregard any code from the IE platform. It has a new rendering engine that is built to be compatible with how the web is written today. The name Spartan is named after the ...
Featured Terms
Museum 'Zadkine '
Near 'Jardin du Luxembourg', the Zadkine museum, is nestled in the greenery of its garden full of sculptures. It offers home and workshops where Ossip ...
Contributor
Featured blossaries
Browers Terms By Category
- News(147)
- Radio & TV broadcasting equipment(126)
- TV equipment(9)
- Set top box(6)
- Radios & accessories(5)
- TV antenna(1)
Broadcasting & receiving(296) Terms
- General furniture(461)
- Oriental rugs(322)
- Bedding(69)
- Curtains(52)
- Carpets(40)
- Chinese antique furniture(36)
Home furnishings(1084) Terms
- Organic chemistry(2762)
- Toxicology(1415)
- General chemistry(1367)
- Inorganic chemistry(1014)
- Atmospheric chemistry(558)
- Analytical chemistry(530)
Chemistry(8305) Terms
- Fiction(910)
- General literature(746)
- Poetry(598)
- Chilldren's literature(212)
- Bestsellers(135)
- Novels(127)
Literature(3109) Terms
- Social media(480)
- Internet(195)
- Search engines(29)
- Online games(22)
- Ecommerce(21)
- SEO(8)