Convert Azimuth and Elevation to Right Ascension and Declination

Algorithm will convert Az/El angles to RA /DEC using a topocentric coordinate frame

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Function Description:
AzEl2RaDec will take the Azimuth and Elevation in the local horizon reference frame, site latitude and longitude as well as a time in GMT and output the Right Ascension and Declination in the topocentric coordinate frame.

List of Inputs:
Local Azimuth Angle (degrees)
Local Elevation Angle (degrees)
Lat (Site Latitude in degrees -90:90 -> S(-) N(+))
Lon (Site Longitude in degrees -180:180 W(-) E(+))
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time YYYY/MM/DD hh:mm:ss)

List of Outputs:
Topocentric Right Ascension (Degrees)
Topocentric Declination Angle (Degrees)

Sample Function Call:
[RA DEC] = AzEl2RaDec(210.8250667,23.8595052,39.007,-104.883,'1994/05/14 13:11:20.59856')

Cite As

Darin Koblick (2026). Convert Azimuth and Elevation to Right Ascension and Declination (https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/24581-convert-azimuth-and-elevation-to-right-ascension-and-declination), MATLAB Central File Exchange. Retrieved .

General Information

MATLAB Release Compatibility

  • Compatible with any release

Platform Compatibility

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
Version Published Release Notes Action
1.2.0.0

Corrected terminology

1.1.0.0

- Updated quadrant check with atan2
- Vectorized for speed

1.0.0.0