Update zenith and azimuth angle documentation

docs/sphinx/source/user_guide/extras/nomenclature.rst

@@ -22,16 +22,21 @@ There is a convention on consistent variable names throughout the library:
 
     aoi
         Angle of incidence. Angle between the surface normal vector and the
-        vector pointing towards the sun’s center
+        vector pointing towards the sun's center. [°]
 
     aoi_projection
-        cos(aoi)
+        cos(aoi). When the sun is behind the surface, the value is negative.
+        For many uses, negative values must be set to zero.
 
     ape
         Average photon energy
 
     apparent_zenith
-        Refraction-corrected solar zenith angle in degrees
+        Refraction-corrected solar zenith angle. [°]
+
+    apparent_elevation
+        Refraction-corrected solar elevation angle. This is the complement of
+        :term:`apparent_zenith` (90 - apparent_zenith). [°]
 
     bhi
         Beam/direct horizontal irradiance
@@ -87,10 +92,10 @@ There is a convention on consistent variable names throughout the library:
         Sandia Array Performance Model IV curve parameters
 
     latitude
-        Latitude
+        Latitude in decimal degrees. Positive north of equator, negative to south.
 
     longitude
-        Longitude
+        Longitude in decimal degrees. Positive east of prime meridian, negative to west.
 
     pac, ac
         AC power
@@ -141,10 +146,14 @@ There is a convention on consistent variable names throughout the library:
         Diode saturation current
 
     solar_azimuth
-        Azimuth angle of the sun in degrees East of North
+        Azimuth angle of the sun in degrees East of North.
+        The pvlib-python convention is defined as degrees east of north, so
+        North = 0°, East = 90°, South = 180°, West = 270°.
 
     solar_zenith
-        Zenith angle of the sun in degrees
+        Zenith angle of the sun in degrees. This is the angle between the sun's rays and
+        the vertical direction. This is the complement of :term:`solar_elevation`
+        (90 - elevation). [°]
 
     spectra
     spectra_components
@@ -154,11 +163,14 @@ There is a convention on consistent variable names throughout the library:
         is composed of direct and diffuse components.
 
     surface_azimuth
-        Azimuth angle of the surface
+        Azimuth angle of the surface in degrees East of North. The pvlib-python
+        convention is defined as degrees east (clockwise) of north, so North = 0°,
+        East = 90°, South = 180°, West = 270°. Other tools may use different
+        conventions. 
 
     surface_tilt
-        Panel tilt from horizontal [°]. For example, a surface facing up = 0°,
-        surface facing horizon = 90°.
+        Panel tilt from horizontal [°]. A surface facing up = 0°, surface facing
+        horizon = 90°.
 
     temp_air
         Temperature of the air

docs/sphinx/source/whatsnew/v0.13.1.rst

@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ Enhancements
 
 Documentation
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+* Substantiate definitions of solar/surface azimuth/zenith and aoi on the
+  :ref:`nomenclature` page. (:issue:`2448`, :pull:`2503`)
 
 
 Testing
@@ -45,3 +47,5 @@ Maintenance
 Contributors
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
 * Elijah Passmore (:ghuser:`eljpsm`)
+* Rajiv Daxini (:ghuser:`RDaxini`)
+* Omar Bahamida (:ghuser:`OmarBahamida`)