Word origin · etymology
Latin-derived astronomical phrase.
Meridian comes from meridies, midday; transit means crossing. The phrase names passage across the observer's north–south celestial circle.
How we know · epistemology
Earth-rotation geometry
Both crossings can occur below the horizon, or above it for a circumpolar body. Upper transit need not be overhead or exactly coincide with maximum altitude.
Skyfield: Almanac Computation — meridian transits and polar conditions ↗
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Mentioned in 5 other entries
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