| Term: | Carrington longitude |
| Definition: |
A system of fixed solar longitudes rotating at a uniform synodic period of 27.2753 days (a sidereal period of 25.38 days). Carrington selected the meridian that passed through the ascending node of the Sun’s equator at 1200 UTC on 1 January 1854 as the original prime meridian. The daily Carrington longitude of the central point of the apparent solar disk is listed (with other solar coordinates) in The Astronomical Almanac published annually by the U.S. Naval Observatory. Compare Bartels’ rotation number. |