Re: Terminology, controversy, flare, NORAD, altitude, etc.

Bjoern Gimle (b_gimle@algonet.se)
Tue, 7 Oct 1997 21:04:53 +0100 

>On Mon, 6 Oct 1997, Bjoern Gimle wrote:
>> Walter Nissen:
>> >> Many organizations use East. 
>> >> (Summary:  Use East longitude). 
>> 
>> Jay Respler:
>> >I have not seen other than West Long in any common usage. West longitude 
>> >is not only NOT obsolete, it is the only terminolgy being used.
>> >
...
Jay:
>
>I think we're talking about 2 different things here.  I agree many 
>(most?) prediction programs use + East.  That doesn't bother me.
>
>Walter said organizations, and by implication, people in general use East 
>for everything.  That's not saying use + or - for East.  It says use 290 
>East instead of 70 West.  Nothing that I have seen does that.  
>Did I mis-understand the original comment?
>
I didn't re-read it, but I probably jumped to conclusions, and you are right.

I see the majority of (good) software as the controlling factor,
and beeing mathematically oriented I hardly react if they accept
East longitudes in the interval 0...360 or -180...+180

But I do prefer the East +tive, because it agrees with the direction of RA,
and UTC offsets, and it creates a right-handed coordinate system.


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