nadir

Celestial coordinates seen by an observer in mid-northern latitudes. His celestial meridian is a great circle passing through his zenith and the poles. His astronomical horizon meets the celestial sphere at infinity.

nadir, a term used in astronomy for the point in the heavens exactly opposite to the zenith, the zenith and nadir being the two poles of the horizon. That is, the zenith is directly overhead, the nadir directly underfoot.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.
Citation Information
Article Title: nadir
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 21 February 2018
Access Date: February 22, 2025