NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Z vs Zn
From: Paul Hirose
Date: 2012 Dec 05, 09:26 -0800
From: Paul Hirose
Date: 2012 Dec 05, 09:26 -0800
N624MA wrote: > I understand that Zn is referenced to True North (000T) but what is "Z" referenced to, and why can't I just us it as azimuth increasing clockwise from 000T? Z is referenced to the "elevated pole". That would be the north pole if your assumed position is in the northern hemisphere. Angles Z and Zn are identical if the north pole is the elevated pole, and the body is not west of the meridian. Most traditional sight reduction methods yield Z, which the navigator must convert to Zn. Well, actually the conversion is not required. In fact, I have found it easier to plot the line of position directly from Z. A glance at the LHA tells you whether to measure east or west from the elevated pole. --
