diff --git a/include/gz/sim/rendering/SceneManager.hh b/include/gz/sim/rendering/SceneManager.hh
index 4a7663df5c..ee3152e7e1 100644
--- a/include/gz/sim/rendering/SceneManager.hh
+++ b/include/gz/sim/rendering/SceneManager.hh
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ inline namespace GZ_SIM_VERSION_NAMESPACE {
     /// \param[in] _sphericalCoordinates SphericalCoordinates
     /// from the world.
     public: void SetSphericalCoordinates(
-        math::SphericalCoordinates _sphericalCoordinates);
+        const math::SphericalCoordinates &_sphericalCoordinates);
 
     /// \brief Create a model
     /// \param[in] _id Unique model id
diff --git a/src/rendering/SceneManager.cc b/src/rendering/SceneManager.cc
index 4c42cdf0e7..de646e281c 100644
--- a/src/rendering/SceneManager.cc
+++ b/src/rendering/SceneManager.cc
@@ -130,8 +130,7 @@ class gz::sim::SceneManagerPrivate
       Entity _id, const std::chrono::steady_clock::duration &_time) const;
 
   /// \brief Holds the spherical coordinates from the world.
-  public: math::SphericalCoordinates sphericalCoordinates =
-          math::SphericalCoordinates();
+  public: math::SphericalCoordinates sphericalCoordinates;
 };
 
 
@@ -625,7 +624,7 @@ rendering::VisualPtr SceneManager::CreateCollision(Entity _id,
 
 /////////////////////////////////////////////////
 void SceneManager::SetSphericalCoordinates(
-    math::SphericalCoordinates _sphericalCoordinates)
+    const math::SphericalCoordinates &_sphericalCoordinates)
 {
   this->dataPtr->sphericalCoordinates = _sphericalCoordinates;
 }
diff --git a/tutorials/spherical_coordinates.md b/tutorials/spherical_coordinates.md
index 70588381f7..c33ba8578c 100644
--- a/tutorials/spherical_coordinates.md
+++ b/tutorials/spherical_coordinates.md
@@ -55,8 +55,12 @@ For example:
 </spherical_coordinates>
 ```
 
-At the moment, the only surface model supported is WGS84 and the only world
-frame orientation is ENU.
+Currently, the supported surface models are WGS84 for the Earth,
+MOON_SCS for the Moon, and CUSTOM_SURFACE for other celestial bodies.
+CUSTOM_SURFACE requires the equatorial and polar axes to be specified
+in meters.
+
+The only world frame currently supported is ENU.
 
 Try out an example world that ships with Gazebo and has the coordinates above
 as follows: