How to Correctly Apply Euler Rotation to Supernovae Coordinates in Matlab?

[birdhen]

Hello,
I am getting very confused.
I have a list of supernovae with galactic coordinates l (from 0->360) and b (from -180->180).
I am trying to write a program in Matlab that rotates the coordinates by 2 Euler angles. Firstly I change l and b into X,Y,Z i.e change from spherical to cartesian coordinate system.
Then I have the rotation matrix:

[X',Y',Z']=[X,Y,Z]* [cos(a) -sin(a) 0 ; -sin(a) cos(a) 0; 0 0 1]*[1 0 0 ; 0 cos(c) -sin(c) ; 0 sin(c) cos(c)]

I want to return a value (delta) which is a function of the SN properties at each rotation where a ranges from (0->360) in steps of 10 degrees and c ranges from (-90->90) in steps of 5 degrees.

The rotation matrix above only seems to work when the range is set as a from (-180->180) and c from (0->180). This means that I have to change l and b so that b ranges from (0->180) ie b=90-b, and l is in the range (-180->180) so l=l-180.

Then I need to plot the rotation values (that are colour coordinated according to the returned value delta) onto a plot that ranges a from (-180->180) and c that ranges from (-90->90). So I need to change c so that
c=90-c.

However, I think that I am doing something wrong somewhere.
I was wondering if anyone had done something similar to this before or if they can see what the problem is, OR alternatively if anyone knows the Euler rotation matrix that will have the range of a(0->360) and c(-90->90) as I have searched but can't find anything.

 

[AndyW]

Hello,

Thank you for your post. It sounds like you are trying to rotate your supernova coordinates using Euler angles, but you are having some trouble with the ranges of the angles. I have not personally done this exact task before, but I do have some suggestions that may help you.

Firstly, I would recommend checking the math behind your rotation matrix. It seems like you may have some inconsistencies with the ranges of the angles and the ranges of the coordinates. I would suggest double checking your equations and making sure they are correct.

Additionally, you may want to consider using a different rotation matrix that is specifically designed for the ranges you are looking for. A quick search online led me to this paper (https://www.researchgate.net/public...x_for_Rotations_Ranging_from_0_to_360_Degrees) which discusses a rotation matrix for angles ranging from 0 to 360 degrees. This may be a good starting point for you to explore.

Lastly, I would suggest reaching out to other scientists or researchers who may have experience with this type of rotation and see if they have any suggestions or insights for you. Collaborating with others can often lead to new ideas and solutions.

I hope these suggestions are helpful to you. Good luck with your project!