Declination

Declination of an object in the sky is the angular distance to the celestial equator. The unit of declination is degree (^o). The declination has a positive value for objects north of the equator , negative values for objects south of the equator. The abbreviation of declination is the greek letter δ. Besides the right ascension, the declination is the second coordinate in the equatorial coordinate system.

examples

• an object on the celestial equator has a declination of δ = 0^o
• an object above the north pole has a declination of δ = +90^o
• an object above the south pole has a declination of δ = -90^o
• an object in the zenith has a declination equal to the latitude of the observer