How many seconds of longitude are in one degree?
Each degree of longitude is sub-divided into 60 minutes, each of which is divided into 60 seconds. A longitude is thus specified in sexagesimal notation as, for example, 23° 27′ 30″ E. For higher precision, the seconds are specified with a decimal fraction. An alternative representation uses degrees and minutes, and parts of a minute are ...
How many degree are there in 1 longitude?
The primary unit in which longitude and latitude are given is degrees (°). There are 360° of longitude (180° E ↔ 180° W) and 180° of latitude (90° N ↔ 90° S). Each degree can be broken into 60 minutes (‘).
How many minutes are in one degree longitude or latitude?
Just like there are 60 minutes in 1 hour, there are 60 minutes in 1 degree of latitude. Note that a minute in regards to latitude is a distance rather than a time. Locations on Earth are measured using a system of longitudes and latitudes.
What is the maximum number of degrees longitude?
What Is The Maximum Number Of Degrees Of Longitude Possible? On the earth, the prime meridian passes through Greenwich, England. Longitude lines can take range up to +180 degrees (180 degrees east) and down to -180 degrees (180 degrees west). The +180 and -180 degree longitude coincidence directly opposite the prime meridian.
What is the distance in kilometers of 1 degree of latitude?
about 111 kilometersOne degree of latitude, called an arc degree, covers about 111 kilometers (69 miles). Because of Earth's curvature, the farther the circles are from the Equator, the smaller they are. At the North and South Poles, arc degrees are simply points. Degrees of latitude are divided into 60 minutes.
Is 1 degree of latitude the same as 1 degree of longitude?
A degree of latitude, one degree north or south, is about the same distance anywhere, about 69 miles (111 kilometers). But a degree of longitude, one degree east or west, is a different distance at different points on the globe.
How far is 1 degree of longitude at the equator?
60 geographical milesA geographical mile is defined to be the length of one minute of arc along the equator (one equatorial minute of longitude) therefore a degree of longitude along the equator is exactly 60 geographical miles or 111.3 kilometers, as there are 60 minutes in a degree.
How do you convert degrees to length?
Let's say it is equal to 45 degrees, or π/4. Calculate the arc length according to the formula above: L = r * θ = 15 * π/4 = 11.78 cm . Calculate the area of a sector: A = r² * θ / 2 = 15² * π/4 / 2 = 88.36 cm² . You can also use the arc length calculator to find the central angle or the circle's radius.
What is the equivalent of 1 degree of latitude?
69 milesOne degree of latitude equals approximately 364,000 feet (69 miles), one minute equals 6,068 feet (1.15 miles), and one-second equals 101 feet.
How are longitude and latitude the same?
Both longitude and latitude are angles measured with the center of the earth as an origin. A longitude is an angle from the prime merdian, measured to the east (longitudes to the west are negative). Latitudes measure an angle up from the equator (latitudes to the south are negative).
What is the difference 1 in latitude?
If we divided by 90° from equator to pole, then it equals to exactly 69 miles (111 Km) for each degree of latitude. 7. 1° of longitude is about the same distance as 1° of latitude at the equator....Difference between latitudes and longitudes.LatitudeLongitudeThere are 181 lines of latitudesThere are 360 lines of latitudes3 more rows•May 16, 2018
How specific is longitude and latitude?
Then the nominal precision of a longitude measurement at a given latitude is just determined by moving the decimal point; for example, at 40 degrees N, one degree of longitude is about 85 km and the precision of the first decimal at latitude 40 N therefore has a nominal precision of about 8.5 km.
Why is the length of a degree, minute, and second of longitude measured?
Because of the Earth's curvature, the actual distance of a degrees, minutes, and seconds of longitude depends on its distance from the Equator. The greater the distance, the shorter the length between meridians. All meridians meet at the North and South Poles. Longitude is related to latitude, the measurement of distance north or south ...
How is longitude measured?
Longitude is the measurement east or west of the prime meridian. Longitude is measured by imaginary lines that run around the Earth vertical ly (up and down) and meet at the North and South Poles. These lines are known as meridian s. Each meridian measures one arc degree of longitude. The distance around the Earth measures 360 degrees.
What is the imaginary line around the Earth?
imaginary line around the Earth, another planet, or star running east-west, 0 degrees latitude. International Date Line. Noun. line of longitude at roughly 180 degrees. East of this line is one day earlier than west. latitude. Noun. distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees. longitude.
How long is the longitude of the Western Hemisphere?
The other half, the Western Hemisphere, in degrees west of the prime meridian. Degrees of longitude are divided into 60 minutes. Each minute of longitude can be further divided into 60 seconds. For example, the longitude of Paris, France, is 2° 29' E (2 degrees, 29 minutes east).
What is the distance around the Earth?
The distance around the Earth measures 360 degrees. The meridian that runs through Greenwich, England, is internationally accepted as the line of 0 degrees longitude, or prime meridian. The antimeridian is halfway around the world, at 180 degrees. It is the basis for the International Date Line.
Why are coordinates important?
Knowing the exact coordinates of a site (degrees, minutes, and seconds of longitude and latitude) is valuable for military, engineering, and rescue operation s. Coordinates can give military leaders the location of weapons or enemy troops.
What is the definition of longitude?
Noun. distance north or south of the Equator , measured in degrees. longitude. Noun. distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees. meridian. Noun. line of longitude, dividing the Earth by north-south. military.
How to determine the longitude of a clock?
A clock is set to the local time of a starting point whose longitude is known, and the longitude of any other place can be determined by comparing its local time with the clock time.
Who developed the longitude system?
The concept of longitude was first developed by ancient Greek astronomers. Hipparchus (2nd century BCE) used a coordinate system that assumed a spherical earth, and divided it into 360° as we still do today. His prime meridian passed through Alexandria. He also proposed a method of determining longitude by comparing the local time of a lunar eclipse at two different places, thus demonstrating an understanding of the relationship between longitude and time.:11. Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century CE) developed a mapping system using curved parallels that reduced distortion. He also collected data for many locations, from Britain to the Middle East. He used a prime meridian through the Canary Islands, so that all longitude values would be positive. While Ptolemy's system was sound, the data he used were often poor, leading to a gross over-estimate (by about 70%) of the length of the Mediterranean.
What is the line from pole to pole called?
For the adaptation of Sobel's book, see Longitude (TV series). For other uses, see Longitude (disambiguation). A graticule on the Earth as a sphere or an ellipsoid. The lines from pole to pole are lines of constant longitude, or meridians.
What is a circle parallel to the equator?
The circles parallel to the Equator are circles of constant latitude, or parallels. The graticule shows the latitude and longitude of points on the surface. In this example, meridians are spaced at 6° intervals and parallels at 4° intervals. Map of Earth.
Why is there a close connection between longitude and time?
Because of the earth's rotation , there is a close connection between longitude and time. Local time (for example from the position of the sun) varies with longitude, a difference of 15° longitude corresponding to a one-hour difference in local time.
How does Cos measure latitude?
Cos φ decreases from 1 at the equator to 0 at the poles, which measures how circles of latitude shrink from the equator to a point at the pole, so the length of a degree of longitude decreases likewise. This contrasts with the small (1%) increase in the length of a degree of latitude (north–south distance), equator to pole. The table shows both for the WGS84 ellipsoid with a = 6 378 137.0 m and b = 6 356 752.3142 m. Note that the distance between two points 1 degree apart on the same circle of latitude, measured along that circle of latitude, is slightly more than the shortest ( geodesic) distance between those points (unless on the equator, where these are equal); the difference is less than 0.6 m (2 ft).
What is the latitude of the equator?
The equator divides the planet into a Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere, and has a latitude of 0°. Longitude ( / ˈlɒndʒɪtjuːd /, AU and UK also / ˈlɒŋɡɪ -/) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east – west position of a point on the Earth 's surface, or the surface of a celestial body.
How many degrees of longitude and latitude are there?
Lines of latitude and longitude intersect, creating a grid that allows anyone in any location to pinpoint a geographic location. There are 360 degrees of longitude (because meridians make Great Circles around the globe), and there are 180 degrees of latitude. To further specify exactly where to find anything on Earth, measurements are stated not only in degrees but also in minutes and seconds. Each degree can be broken into 60 minutes, and each minute can be divided into 60 seconds. Any given location can be described in terms of degrees, minutes, and seconds of longitude and latitude.
What Is the Distance Between Degrees of Latitude?
Degrees of latitude are parallel so, for the most part, the distance between each degree remains constant . However, the Earth is slightly elliptical in shape and that creates a small variation between the degrees as we work our way from the equator to the north and south poles.
How to find latitude and longitude?
Similarly, if you right-click on a location in MapQuest you will get the latitude and longitude data.
Why is latitude called a parallel?
Latitude is defined as imaginary lines called parallels because they are parallel to the equator and to one another. The equator, which runs in a circle around the center of the Earth, divides the planet into north and south hemispheres.
How far is the equator from the tropics?
At the equator, the distance is 68.703 miles (110.567 kilometers). At the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees north and south), the distance is 68.94 miles (110.948 kilometers). At each of the poles, the distance is 69.407 miles (111.699 kilometers). This is rather convenient when you want to know how far it is between each ...
Where are the degrees of longitude farthest apart?
Unlike latitude, the distance between degrees of longitude varies greatly depending upon your location on the planet. They are farthest apart at the equator and converge at the poles.
How long is a degree?
To further specify exactly where to find anything on Earth, measurements are stated not only in degrees but also in minutes and seconds. Each degree can be broken into 60 minutes, and each minute can be divided into 60 seconds. Any given location can be described in terms of degrees, minutes, and seconds of longitude and latitude.
How much is the length of a degree of longitude?
Measured along a parallel of latitude, the length of a degree of longitude is 1/360 of the length of the whole circle, which you can calculate from
How far is one degree of longitude from the equator?
At the Equator, 1 degree of both is a bit less than 70 miles. BUT as you go north or south from the Equator, longitude lines gradually converge, finally coming together at the poles, so the distance of one degree of longitude gets smaller and smaller poleward. At the poles there is no distance between longitude lines because they have all converged.
How many latitudes are there on Earth?
In northern hemisphere 90° and in southern hemisphere 90° pass horigentally parelell to the equator. Latitudes are in full circle. The total number of longitudes are 360° around the earth pass north pole to south pole in semi circle. The average distance of 1.degree latitude and 1.degree longitude is
How far is 1° of latitude?
1° of latitude is 111.13 km. 1° of longitude ranges from 0 at the poles to 111.32 km at the equator.
How far is the great circle from the parallel?
For a 1-degree arc, the great-circle (i.e. shortest) distance is within 0.6 meter of the distance along the parallel.
Overview
Length of a degree of longitude
The length of a degree of longitude (east–west distance) depends only on the radius of a circle of latitude. For a sphere of radius a that radius at latitude φ is a cos φ, and the length of a one-degree (or π/180 radian) arc along a circle of latitude is
When the Earth is modelled by an ellipsoid this arc length becomes
History
The concept of longitude was first developed by ancient Greek astronomers. Hipparchus (2nd century BCE) used a coordinate system that assumed a spherical Earth, and divided it into 360° as we still do today. His prime meridian passed through Alexandria. He also proposed a method of determining longitude by comparing the local time of a lunar eclipse at two different places, thus demonstrating an understanding of the relationship between longitude and time. . Claudius Ptole…
Determination
The main methods for determining longitude are listed below. With one exception (magnetic declination) they all depend on a common principle, which was to determine an absolute time from an event or measurement and to compare the corresponding local time at two different locations.
• Lunar distances. In its orbit around the Earth, the Moon moves relative to the stars at a rate of j…
Values
Longitude is given as an angular measurement ranging from 0° at the Prime Meridian to +180° eastward and −180° westward. The Greek letter λ (lambda) is used to denote the location of a place on Earth east or west of the Prime Meridian.
Each degree of longitude is sub-divided into 60 minutes, each of which is divided into 60 seconds. A longitude is thus specified in sexagesimal notation as, for example, 23° 27′ 30″ E. For higher pr…
See also
• American Practical Navigator
• Cardinal direction
• Dead reckoning
• Ecliptic longitude
• Geodesy
Further reading
• Andrews, William J. H. (1996). The Quest for Longitude. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-9644329-0-1. OCLC 59617314.
• Howse, Derek (1980). Greenwich Time and the Discovery of the Longitude. Philip Wilson Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-19-215948-9.
External links
• Resources for determining your latitude and longitude
• IAU/IAG Working Group On Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements of the Planets and Satellites
• "Longitude forged": an essay exposing a hoax solution to the problem of calculating longitude, undetected in Dava Sobel's Longitude, from TLS, November 12, 2008.