赤经

赤经(英文Right ascension;缩写为RA;符号为α)是天文学使用在天球赤道座标系统内的座标值之一,通过天球两极并与天赤道垂直,另一个座标值是赤纬。
天球上的赤经,功用与地理座标中的经度相同。赤经和经度都是沿着赤道向东或西方矢量度,零点也是赤道上随意选择的。经度的零点是本初子午线;赤经的零点是春分点,这是太阳在3月下旬运行至北天球时所通过的点,也是地球的升交点。
赤经的数值由春分点向东量度的,单位是时、分、秒,但有时也会用度来量度。他与恒星时的关系密不可分。它既是时间的单位,也是角度的单位。1=15゜,1=15',1=15"。在航海上使用的是恒星时角(缩写SHA),与赤经的不同是赤经由西向东量度,恒星时角是由东向西量。


![How right ascension got its name. Ancient astronomy was very concerned with the rise and set of celestial objects. The ascension was the point on the celestial equator (red) which rose or set at the same time as an object (green) on the celestial sphere. As seen from the equator, both were on a great circle from pole to pole (left, sphaera recta or right sphere). From almost anywhere else, they were not (center, sphaera obliqua or oblique sphere). At the poles, objects did not rise or set (right, sphaera parallela or parallel sphere). An object's right ascension was its ascension on a right sphere.[9]](/uploads/202502/07/Old_RA_diagram5050.png)
