NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Celestial Navigation without a sextant.
From: Peter Fogg
Date: 2008 Mar 8, 17:59 +1100
From: Peter Fogg
Date: 2008 Mar 8, 17:59 +1100
40 South wrote: > Also, assuming you had a compass and were north or south of the > tropics, would it be possible to estimate your latitude by taking a > bearing of the setting or rising of a celestial body? We're still at S40d 00' E152d 00' (yes, the other side of the ditch). The azimuth of the sun at sunrise on 9 Mar 2008 is 096.3d. At S41d 00' E152d 00' the azimuth of the sun at sunrise on 9 Mar 2008 is 096.4d So no, the bearing of a celestial body changes far too little with changes in latitude for this to be a useful indicator. Especially given the relative inaccuracy of a magnetic compass, compensation needed for variation and deviation, and the difficulty of reading it accurately when at sea in a small boat. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
