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rising angle The angle a star makes when rising from the eastern horizon. When bearing due east, a star rises at an angle equal to 90° minus your latitude of observation. This is the steepest a star can rise, away from due east the rising angle is less than at due east. On the western horizon, when bearing due west the stars also set at this same angle of 90° minus latitude of observation. This result accounts for the long twilights in Alaska and the very short twilights near the equator.

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