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This diagram shows various possible elongations (ε), each of which is the angular distance between a planet and the Sun from Earth's perspective. In astronomy, a planet's elongation is the angular separation between the Sun and the planet, with Earth as the reference point. [1] The greatest elongation is the maximum angular separation.
This means that the Sun is (a mean of) 6 + 3 ⁄ 4 times wider than the Earth, or that the Sun is 13 + 1 ⁄ 2 Earth-radii wide. The Moon and Sun must then be 20 + 1 ⁄ 4 and 387 Earth-radii away from us in order to subtend an angular size of 2º.
On terrestrial planets and other solid celestial bodies with negligible atmospheric effects, the distance to the horizon for a "standard observer" varies as the square root of the planet's radius. Thus, the horizon on Mercury is 62% as far away from the observer as it is on Earth, on Mars the figure is 73%, on the Moon the figure is 52%, on ...
The point where the Sun is at sunrise or sunset represents the direction of sunrise or sunset. Simply measuring the distance along the horizon between these points, in angular terms (comparing it with the length of the analemma, as described above), gives the angle between due east or west and the direction of sunrise or sunset.
The top plot represents the changing angular distance between the observed pointing and the Sun, which is opposite to the interior angle located at the zenith (or the scattering angle). When the Sun is located at the zenith this distance is greatest along the horizon at every cardinal direction.
The heliocentric ecliptic system describes the planets' orbital movement around the Sun, and centers on the barycenter of the Solar System (i.e. very close to the center of the Sun). The system is primarily used for computing the positions of planets and other Solar System bodies, as well as defining their orbital elements.
The Sun, planets, moons and dwarf planets (true color, size to scale, distances not to scale) The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Solar System: Solar System – gravitationally bound system comprising the Sun and the objects that orbit it, either directly or indirectly. Of those objects that orbit the ...
For the purpose of measurement, the Sun's radius is considered to be the distance from its center to the edge of the photosphere, the apparent visible surface of the Sun. [41] By this measure, the Sun is a near-perfect sphere with an oblateness estimated at 9 millionths, [42] [43] [44] which means that its polar diameter differs from its ...