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The time it takes the telescope to slew from one place to another on the sky is determined by two upper limits, one is the maximum angular acceleration (about 3 deg/s^2) and the other is the maximum angular rate (3 deg/s).
Coordinates and Timeframes.
There are three natural timescales involved: a day, a month and a year.
Relationship between RA, DEC, HA and zenith angle (from Zombeck)
HA=LST-RA
alt=altitude
az=azimuth, from W towards S
lat=latitude
cos(alt)sin(az)=cos(dec)sin(HA)
cos(alt)cos(az)=-sin(dec)cos(lat)+cos(dec)cos(HA)sin(lat)
sin(alt)=sin(dec)sin(lat) + cos(dec) cos(alt) cos(lat)
Merit Function Ingredients.
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