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A star has a right ascension of five hours. Which of these statements is correct about that star

a. it is five hours to the west of zero hours right ascension
b. it is five hours to the east of zero hours right ascension
c. it is five hours north of the celestial equator

1 Answer

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Final answer:

A star with a right ascension of five hours is located five hours to the east of zero hours right ascension, corresponding to 75° eastward from the vernal equinox.

Step-by-step explanation:

A star with a right ascension (RA) of five hours is east of the zero-hour right ascension. Right ascension measures the east-west positions of celestial bodies in the sky from the vernal equinox and is expressed in either degrees or hours. Since one hour corresponds to 15°, a star with RA 5h has traveled 75° eastward from the vernal equinox point. This RA measurement does not relate to the star's north-south position, only its east-west location in the celestial sphere. The correct statement is therefore that the star is five hours to the east of zero hours right ascension.

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