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RA and Dec

YPFA
Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Sat, 06/10/2023 - 03:25

I notice that RA and Dec can be expressed in several ways, when specifying celestial coordinates for an astronomical object. IN particular, RA can be expressed as hh:mm:ss or as degrees and fractions thereof.

I seem to be seeing more and more instances where both RA and Dec are expressed in degrees and fractions of a degree.

Is there a generally recommended / preferred (by the IAU for instance) approach in the astronomical community?