prime vertical

The vertical circle that passes through an observer's zenith at right angles to the meridian and intersects the horizon at the east and west points (see cardinal points).

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

Prime Vertical

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

The prime vertical is the great circle that intersects the east point, the west point, the nadir, and the zenith at any given point on Earth. It is perpendicular to both the meridian and the horizon. Some systems of house division utilize this great circle as their primary point of reference, deriving the house cusps by dividing the prime vertical into 12 equal subdivisons.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Prime Vertical

the great circle of the celestial sphere that passes through the zenith and the eastern and western points on the horizon. The plane of the prime vertical is perpendicular to the plane of the horizon and the plane of the celestial meridian. All heavenly bodies, which pass through the prime vertical as a result of the diurnal motion, intersect the prime vertical at the same velocity with respect to altitude and azimuth (for a given terrestrial latitude).

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References in periodicals archive

The meridional componentand [xi] the prime vertical component [eta] of DOV are calculated from the two directions of geoid gradients (Heiskanen & Moritz, 1967), that is

Then derivatives of these quadratic polynomials are made to get, andwhich are substituted for equations (1) and (2) to calculate the prime vertical and meridional components of DOV on crossover point.

From Table 1, it can be seen that theprecisions of prime vertical and meridional components are 1.02" and 0.98" comparing with EGM2008-modelled components, respectively, which indicates that oceanic DOVs of crossover points from altimetry data are reliable.

Figures 2 and 3 show annual variations of meridional and prime vertical components of oceanic DOVs determined by the crossover method, respectively.

Figure 3 shows the annualchangesin prime vertical components.

Temporal-spatial distribution of oceanic vertical deflections determined by TOPEX/poseidon and Jason-1/2 missions

These are used to evaluate both the radius of curvature in the prime vertical (v as above) and the radius of curvature in the meridian p.

v = a/[square root of (1 - [e.sup.2][sin.sup.2][phi])] - Radius of Curvature in the Prime Vertical.

Discussion of the effects of selecting incorrect ellipsoid parameters/Apie efektus, kuriuos sukelia netinkamas elipsoido parametru parinkimas

where [N.sup.(k-1).sub.i]--curvature radius of prime vertical, computed for geodetic latitude [B.sup.(k-1).sub.i].

where [N.sub.i]--curvature radius of prime vertical (5), computed for geodetic latitude [B.sub.i].

20-30 km) and for the simplification of the problem the surface of the ellipsoid may be replaced by the surface of a sphere with the curvature radius R = [square root of M x N], where M and N are the radius of curvature of meridian and radius of the curvature of prime vertical respectively calculated with respect to the geodetic coordinates of point [P.sub.i].

Determination of geographic position of object by applying 3D polar observations/Objekto geografines padeties nustatymas taikant erdvinius polinius matavimus

1a, 1b show meridian and prime vertical components of the deflections of the vertical and Fig.

Recent geodetic activities of Brno University of technology in Sudety Mts. region

Turning around to follow the prime vertical down to the eastern horizon, we pass, in descending order, Auriga with bright Capella, Gemini, and Canis Minor with Procyon.

Taurus high in the icy night