Old instruments
Declination Table
Direct answer
Declination Table is a table listing declination, the angular coordinate north or south of the celestial equator, for bodies or times.
Declination Table is a celestial latitude table used in historical astronomy, timekeeping, or navigation.
$0 today, then $12/month after 7 days. Cancel anytime.
At a glance
- Found in
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Related
- Transit Table, Precession Table, Right Ascension Table, Cross Staff
Declination Table is a celestial latitude table used in historical astronomy, timekeeping, or navigation.
An engraved functional orientation; the page explains the real instrument, method, or publication.
What does your own chart say about you?
Choose love, work or purpose. Your reading is written from your chart. Your reading uses your own birth details.
Walk through Alex’s whole example first
The Road of AgesSee the turning points of your whole life, from your birth date
See your road's shape
Prefer to explore first?
The Road of AgesThe turning points of your whole life, from your own chart
Walk my road
Free, by email
Your daily Almanac letter
One short letter at 7 each morning: the day’s theme read for your own chart, and one thing to do with it.
The story behind Declination Table
Declination columns became standard features of star catalogues, ephemerides, and navigation almanacs.
A one-minute story
The Book of the Sky
How people learned to read the sky, from Babylon to the day you were born.
Why Declination Table matters
Declination Table matters because declination is required for sky pointing, meridian-altitude latitude work, and determining which latitudes can see an object.
How to read Declination Table
Read Declination Table by noting the sign, epoch, date, and whether the value is apparent, mean, geocentric, or topocentric.
Declination Table in practice: an example
A Sun sight reduction uses the Sun's tabulated declination for the observation time.
Where readings of Declination Table go wrong
A missing minus sign changes north to south and can invalidate an entire calculation.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Astronomical and Navigational Almanacs - Official descriptions of the Astronomical Almanac, Nautical Almanac, and their tabular data.
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Astronomical Applications Data Services - Authoritative services for positions, rise and set data, phases, seasons, eclipses, and astronomical dates.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Explore Declination Table
A definition tells you what it is; your own birth chart tells you what it means for you. The Oracle casts your real chart and answers for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation. It opens with the 7-day Seeker trial.
Speak with the OracleRelated terms
More in Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Hadley Quadrant
- Lunar Distance Table
- Nocturnal Instrument
- Plumb Line
- Sextant
- Volvelle
- Astrolabe
- Celestial Navigation
From the reference page to your own chart
Every word here
is in your own chart.
- A personal reading about love, work or purpose, written from your chart
- A practical next step to consider
- It opens with 7 days free, with the AI Oracle and daily guidance
$0 today, then $12/month after 7 days. Cancel anytime.
Common questions
What is Declination Table?
Declination Table is a table listing declination, the angular coordinate north or south of the celestial equator, for bodies or times.
What do people get wrong about Declination Table?
A missing minus sign changes north to south and can invalidate an entire calculation.
Free, by email
The Almanac, in your inbox at 7
One short letter at 7 each morning: the day’s theme read for your own chart, and one thing to do with it.
