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Astral Atlas
Wiki concept · Astronomy & coordinates

Circumpolarity

Also called circumpolar · circumpolar star · circumpolar stars

The condition in which a body’s daily path remains above the horizon at a specified location, instead of rising and setting.

In this entry

Word origin · etymology

Latin-prefix astronomical compound.

Circum- means around and polar refers to a pole. The noun names the condition of remaining around a celestial pole without setting.

Merriam-Webster: circumpolar ↗

How we know · epistemology

Latitude-dependent astronomical geometry

Latitude, declination and the horizon model determine this condition. A body near the opposite celestial pole can instead remain below the horizon without rising.

Skyfield: Almanac Computation — meridian transits and polar conditions ↗

Connected concepts

Browse other concepts in Astronomy & coordinates →

These links connect subjects and terminology. They do not establish a shared historical origin.

Sources & provenance

Use the citations beside each section to distinguish a calculation convention, a historical teaching and an editorial example.

Find these sources across the wiki →

  1. Skyfield: Almanac Computation — meridian transits and polar conditions ↗
  2. Merriam-Webster: circumpolar ↗