Which term is used to describe how high a celestial object appears in the sky?

Which term is used to describe how high a celestial object appears in the sky?

• A. Elevation
• B. Azimuth
• C. Altitude
• D. Latitude

Answer: (A)

The height of a celestial object in the sky is described by its altitude. Altitude is the angle between the object and the horizon, measured upward from 0 degrees at the horizon to 90 degrees at the zenith. This tells you how high the object appears in your sky. Azimuth, by contrast, is the direction along the horizon (where you’re looking), not how high. Latitude is a geographic position on Earth, unrelated to how high a star or planet appears. While some contexts use elevation to mean height above the horizon, the standard term in astronomy for this angle is altitude.

The height of a celestial object in the sky is described by its altitude. Altitude is the angle between the object and the horizon, measured upward from 0 degrees at the horizon to 90 degrees at the zenith. This tells you how high the object appears in your sky. Azimuth, by contrast, is the direction along the horizon (where you’re looking), not how high. Latitude is a geographic position on Earth, unrelated to how high a star or planet appears. While some contexts use elevation to mean height above the horizon, the standard term in astronomy for this angle is altitude.