Geocentric latitude
In geosciences, the geocentric latitude (usually referred to as ψ ( psi )) of a point on the earth's surface is the angle that the connecting line from the center of the earth to this point includes with the equatorial plane .
On the other hand, the geographic latitude (designated with B , β ( beta ) or φ ( phi )) is up to 0.19 degrees greater than the geocentric latitude, because it relates to the normal to the earth's ellipsoid . The latter does not necessarily run through the center of the earth, but because of the flattening of the earth by up to 22 km past it.
The maximum angle difference B - ψ of 0.19 ° occurs at the 45th degree of latitude , while the two latitudes coincide at 0 ° (equator) and at the poles .
See also
Web links
- Difference between geocentric and geographical latitude ( memento from September 8, 2017 in the Internet Archive )