Definition:Principal Vertical Circle

Definition

The vertical circle on the celestial sphere which passes through the observer's zenith and both the north celestial pole and south celestial pole is called the principal vertical circle.

Also known as

Some sources refer to the principal vertical circle as the celestial meridian.

Also see

• Definition:Prime Vertical

• Results about the principal vertical circle can be found here.

Sources

• 1976: W.M. Smart: Textbook on Spherical Astronomy (6th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text {II}$. The Celestial Sphere: $18$. Altitude and azimuth.
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): celestial meridian
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): celestial meridian