Astronomical Algorithms Tonight's night sky · animate time with Play
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Topocentric

Referred to the observer's location on Earth's surface.

Definition

Topocentric means referred to a point on Earth's surface (the observer). Parallax — the shift in apparent position due to the observer not being at Earth's centre — matters most for the Moon and nearby planets.

vs geocentric

Geocentric coordinates use Earth's centre. The difference (topocentric − geocentric) is the parallax correction. For stars it is negligible; for the Moon it can exceed 1° in horizontal coordinates.

3D illustration

The night-sky map is topocentric — centred on your location on Earth.

Use the menu and time controls to explore. Based on Jean Meeus' Astronomical Algorithms.