[Solved] How can I enter data on ascension and declination?

[PeterNO]

Astronomy right ascension and declination have the format 00.00.00. When I enter these figures, such as 89.15.51
86.35.11
82.12.13
86.35.13
86.35.14
86.35.15
86.35.16
Calc converts to date, or some other useless number.

[FJCC]

Highlight the cells you want to affect then go to the menu Format -> Cells. On the Numbers tab, set the Category to Text.

[MrProgrammer]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

When I enter these figures, such as 89.15.51 … Calc converts to date, or some other useless number.

Read section 5. Understanding data entry in Ten concepts that every Calc user should know.

For this specific situation, do you need to do calculations with these values? If not, format the cells as text before entering values. Changing the formatting to text after entering the values will do nothing, as explained in the tutorial.

If you need to do calculations with the values, you'll need to use a number format that Calc understands. You will not be able to use DD.MM.SS because, to Calc, three two-digit numbers separated by periods is a date and you cannot change this behavior. However you can format the cell with number code [HH]:MM:SS (and note that HH must be enclosed in brackets). When you enter, using colons, 30:30:00, Calc will store the value as one 24th of the decimal degrees, that is 30½÷24 or about 1.27, but display will it as 30:30:00. (Section 4 explains why the factor of 24 is used.) To get decimal degrees, multiply the cell's value by 24 to get 30.5 in this case. If you're going to be doing trigonometry, convert decimal degrees to radians with =RADIANS(cell*24) to get about .53 radian. Now you can use the sine and cosine functions: =SIN(RADIANS(cell*24)) will be about .51 and =COS(RADIANS(cell*24)) will be about .86. You cannot get Calc to display the cells as 30.30.00 instead of 30:30:00 unless you want to use one column to enter and hold the numeric values and a second column to hold the display values.

I'd recommend using Styles instead of Format → Cells because styles are easier in the long run, but either way will work.

Don't immediately try the suggestions in the second and third paragraphs without out reading the Ten Concepts tutorial. You'll need that background to do much of anything useful with Calc.

If this solved your problem please go to your first post use the Edit button and add [Solved] to the start of the title. You can select the green checkmark icon at the same time.

[PeterNO]

For FJCC, I do need to calculate; and for MrProgrammer, I'll try it out. To both of you big hugs.

[Villeroy]

You cannot get Calc to display the cells as 30.30.00 instead of 30:30:00 unless you want to use one column to enter and hold the numeric values and a second column to hold the display values.

You can. Apply Italian time format.

[Lupp]

My two cents: See attached.

[Villeroy]

Same with Italian input style.