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How to Calculate the Heliacal Rising of Stars

The heliacal rising of a star happens when a star returns to visibility after being obscured by the sun for a season. By observing the sky at the dawn of the day when the star reappears, these stars can be seen to blink. With each passing day the star rises earlier and appears longer in the sky before the light of the rising sun obscures it. Stars that stay above the horizon at all times do not have heliacal risings. Since heliacal risings only happen on a specific day, ancient civilizations used them to mark important dates to plant crops.

Instructions

    • 1

      Download a heliacal calculator application or use an online program.

    • 2

      Type the year. Click the drop-down box and select "AD."

    • 3

      Type your longitude in degrees and minutes. Click the drop-down box and select "East" or "West." Type your latitude in degrees and minutes. Click the drop-down box and select "North" or "South." To determine your coordinates, consult a paper or online map.

    • 4

      Type the altitude of the star that you would like to track.

    • 5

      Click the "Select a star" drop-down box and make your selection. Click "Run."


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