NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Direct methods for finding position
From: Herbert Prinz
Date: 2002 Apr 15, 04:43 +0000
From: Herbert Prinz
Date: 2002 Apr 15, 04:43 +0000
Arthur, D = declination L = latitude T = local hour angle (t as in time) Sorry for forgetting to mention this. The formula is, in fact, the one for computed altitude as taught by the USPS or in the better books on navigation. A diagram for and full decription of the trigonometric method can be found in Cotter's History of Nautical Astronomy, and also (slightly mislabeled) in Susan P. Howell, Practical Celestial Navigation, 1987. The method of Kotlaric (see Bowditch 1972, 1984) is also partly based on it. I still owe you an answer re St. Hilaire. I was too busy during the weekend removing the mildew from my boat after this by-far-too-warm winter. Herbert
