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.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Also appears in
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-16
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
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.
The Great Almanac frames Local Hour Angle with educational restraint. Mystical or symbolic language may be meaningful, but it should not be exaggerated into certainty, panic, or permission to ignore ordinary responsibility.
Local Hour Angle in the Bible
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.
Example in a reading: Adding west longitude to Greenwich hour angle and reducing within 360 degrees yields local hour angle under the stated convention.
Interpretive caution: East and west sign conventions vary across formulas; never memorize an operation without its definition.
How Local Hour Angle is used in a reading
Use Local Hour Angle by combining Greenwich hour angle and longitude with the correct east-west sign 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.
The page starts with a direct definition, then separates use, example, caution, spiritual meaning, and historical context. For astrology, occult, demonology, curse, and spiritual warfare terms, the editorial rule is to explain the term without making fear-based, fatalistic, medical, legal, financial, or ritual-instruction claims.
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These related entries help place Local Hour Angle inside a wider reference cluster instead of leaving it as a standalone keyword.
