Dictionary term
Local Hour Angle
Direct answer
Local Hour Angle is the angular distance measured westward from the observer's meridian to the hour circle of a celestial body.
Local Hour Angle is a local westward celestial angle used in historical astronomy, timekeeping, or navigation.
Local Hour Angle is a local westward celestial angle used in historical astronomy, timekeeping, or navigation.
An engraved functional orientation; the page explains the real instrument, method, or publication.Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Local Hour Angle by combining Greenwich hour angle and longitude with the correct east-west sign convention.
- Do not use it for
- East and west sign conventions vary across formulas; never memorize an operation without its definition.
- Reference category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Related terms
- Celestial Position Fix, Running Fix, Greenwich Hour Angle, Assumed Position
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The story behind Local Hour Angle
Hour-angle notation became central to practical astronomical and navigation tables.
Local Hour Angle in spiritual tradition
Local Hour Angle rewards careful observation, explicit assumptions, and humility about the limits of every model or measurement.
Local Hour Angle: fact and faith, kept distinct
This is a factual history-of-science, instrument, timekeeping, or navigation reference. It may support wonder and disciplined attention without becoming a claim of fate, worship, or private revelation.
Local Hour Angle in numerology
Local Hour Angle is not a numerology claim. Any numbers attached to it should retain their ordinary scientific, calendrical, navigational, or historical meaning unless a separate symbolic interpretation is clearly labeled.
Why Local Hour Angle matters
Local Hour Angle matters because it relates the body's direction to the observer's longitude for altitude and azimuth calculations.
Local Hour Angle at work: an example
Adding west longitude to Greenwich hour angle and reducing within 360 degrees yields local hour angle under the stated convention.
Where interpretation stops
Local Hour Angle is presented as sourced astronomy, calendrical, Earth-science, cultural, or instrument-history reference. Definitions should distinguish measured phenomena from civil convention and historical interpretation, preserve location and time dependencies, and avoid turning factual sky data into a deterministic personal claim.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency: The American Practical Navigator - Official modern reference for navigation principles, celestial observations, sight reduction, and navigational tables.
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Astronomical and Navigational Almanacs - Official descriptions of the Astronomical Almanac, Nautical Almanac, and their tabular data.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Also appears in
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-16
Explore Local Hour Angle
Local Hour Angle in a book is one thing; Local Hour Angle in your own birth chart is your life. The Oracle casts your real chart and tells you what it means for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation, free.
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More in Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Meridian Table
- Pelorus
- Right Ascension Table
- Sundial
- Almanac Ephemeris
- Astronomical Table
- Computus
- Filar Micrometer
Common questions
What is Local Hour Angle?
Local Hour Angle is the angular distance measured westward from the observer's meridian to the hour circle of a celestial body.
How is Local Hour Angle used in an almanac?
Use Local Hour Angle by combining Greenwich hour angle and longitude with the correct east-west sign convention.
What should I avoid when interpreting Local Hour Angle?
East and west sign conventions vary across formulas; never memorize an operation without its definition.
