Is there an easy way to precess my coordinates?
A.: NED offers an easy-to-use coordinate calculator. This provides coordinate transformation, precession, and position angle calculations, as well as Schlegel et al Galactic extinction. The coordinate calculator is flexible enough to convert accurately between Besselian and Julian equinoxes, taking the epoch of observation into account when needed. It assumes that Besselian dates refer to FK4 system, that Julian dates refer to the FK5 system, and makes the appropriate transformations. • Q.: What precession routine has NED adopted? A.: NED adopted the FK5 system in 1992 with J2000.0 as the default equinox. The precession routine is essentially that described in the introduction to FK5, with minor changes to support the work then being done at IPAC. J. Bennett, the author of the routine, has provided an extensive description of NED’s precession calculations. Though NED does not yet explicitly support the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF), the FK5 optical system is consistent
