Celestial Nav Exercises Book

CELESTIAL NAVIGATION EXERCISES
for Class and Home Study
Free downloadable version, without the required pages from

the Nautical Almanac or the Sight Reduction Tables
Dominique F. Prinet
www.CelestialNavigationBook.com
Your comments and recommendations will help improve this book.

Please email them to dprinet@gmail.com.
Thank you.
The Exercise Manual for students was designed to facilitate the work of instructors
using the free slide presentation available from the website
www.CelestialNavigationBook.com. This downloadable version of
the Exercise Manual allows students to print the questions
offered at regular intervals in the presentation, together with the work-forms
guiding the calculations and the answers.
Most students taking a course from an instructor following the slide presentation
will have the associated book “Celestial Navigation using the Sight Reduction Tables
Pub. No. 249”. In order to facilitate the download process, this free version of the
Exercise Manual does not include the data tables required for the calculations since they
already are in the Celestial Navigation book. All exercises are for the year 2003.
The complete version of the Exercise Manual, with all the data tables, can be purchased
in print or electronic format (pdf) from Amazon or retailers of marine books.
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to the many students who offered valuable suggestions over the years and
in particular to Steven Buchi, Eng., who verified all the answers.
I would also like to express my appreciation to Linda Mitsui, Graphic Designer,
who has spent countless hours setting up the text, tables and graphics.
iii
CELESTIAL NAVIGATION EXERCISES
for Class and Home Study
Table of Contents
QUESTIONS
Session 1: Sextant Corrections (Exercises 1-3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 1
Session 2: Time; Conversions between arcs and Time; GHA and Dec (4-10). . . . . . . . . . . p. 3
Session 3: Interpolations of GHA & Dec; LHA; Lat. by Noon Sight (11-15). . . . . . . . . . . p. 9
Session 4: Sight Reduction Tables (16-19). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 13
Session 5: Review Exercises on the Sun; Plotting (20-28) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 21
Session 6: Twilight; Moon (29-33). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 29
Session 7: Planets; Stars; Selected Stars; Polaris (34-40) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 33
Session 8: Review Exercises, entire course (41-58). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 41
Additional Home Exercises:
Home Exercises 1-9 following Session 3: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 55
Home Exercises 10 and 11 following Session 4:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 67
The exercises are for the year 2003. The required Almanac and Sight Reduction Tables are
given in the Appendix of the book “Celestial Navigation using the Sight Reduction Tables
Pub. No. 249”.
ANSWERS
Exercise Answers 1-58. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 75
Home Exercise Answers 1-11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 113
continued...
www.CelestialNavigationBook.com v
Table of Contents
Appendix 1: Sight Reduction Work Forms

A1-1 Sun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 129
A1-2 Noon Sight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 130
A1-3 Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 131
A1-4 Planet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 132
A1-5 Star. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 133
A1-6 Selected Stars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 134
A1-7 Latitude by Polaris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 135
vi www.CelestialNavigationBook.com
Session 1 of the Slide Presentation
Exercises 1-3
Chapters 1 & 2 of the Celestial Navigation book
Sextant Corrections
1
Session 1, Exercises 1-3
1. Sextant corrections, index error
Sextant altitude Hs 27° 45.0' 59° 13.0' 07° 23.7
Index error 21.0' Off 28.0' On 36.4' Off
Hs corrected for
index error
“On the arc”: – ° ' ° ' ° '
“Off the arc”: + . . .
2. Sextant corrections, correction for Dip
Sextant altitude Hs
27° 05.7' 5 9° 03.0' 0 7° 23.2'
corrected for index error
Height of eye 40 m 4.8 m 6 feet
' ' '

DIP (–) – . – –
. .
° ' ° ' ° '
Apparent altitude Ha
. . .
3. Sextant corrections, main correction
Body observed Sun, UL Sun, LL Sun, UL
Time of year October June March
Apparent altitude Ha 20° 09.1' 49° 53.9' 17° 06.1'
Main correction, for

the month and Ha: ' ' '
LL + UL – . . .
° ' ° ' ° '
Observed altitude Ho
. . .
2 www.CelestialNavigationBook.com
Exercises 4-10
Chapters 3 & 4 (beginning) of the Celestial Navigation book
Measures of time; Conversions arcs time;

Greenwich Hour Angle;
Declination for round UTC hours
3
4. Sextant corrections, all corrections combined

Calculate the “Observed Altitude Ho” of the sun above the horizon, after all sextant corrections.
Note the corrections during summer or winter months, and for Upper or Lower Limb.
Body observed Sun, LL Sun, UL Sun, LL
Time of year April July November
Sextant altitude Hs 37° 59.1' 49° 03.0' 17° 56.6'
Index error 2.7' Off 8.1' On 4.5' Off
Height of eye 2.9 m 3.3 m 9.0 feet
Hs corrected for
index error
“On the arc”: – ° ' ° ' ° '
“Off the arc”: + . . .
' ' '
DIP – – –
. . .
Apparent altitude Ha ° ' ° ' ° '

. . .
Main correction,

for the month and Ha: ' ' '
LL + UL – . . .
Observed altitude Ho ° ' ° ' ° '

. . .
5. Corrections to the chronometer

Chronometer 1: 01:39:24; 02 min 28 s fast
Chronometer 2: 22:09:19; 12 min 39 s fast
Chronometer 3: 18:53:19; 08 min 47 s slow
CHRONOMETER 1
h min s
CRONO. SLOW +
CORRECTION FAST – min s
UTC TIME
h min s
CHRONOMETER 2
h min s
CRONO. SLOW +
UTC TIME
h min s
CHRONOMETER 3
h min s
CRONO. SLOW +
UTC TIME
h min s
6. Almanac table “Conversion of Arcs to Times”, to convert arcs

(angles) to times
A. Determine the time difference corresponding to the angle (arc) between the meridian of
Greenwich (longitude: 0°) and that of the boat. This time difference represents the time it
takes for the sun to travel from one meridian to the other at 15° of longitude per hour.
Boat longitude 123° 08.25' W 068° 28.75' W 041° 37.50' E

Hours and min
: : 00 s : : 00 s : : 00 s
for the ° of angle
min and s
00 : : s 00 : : s 00 : : s
for the ' of angle
Total time difference
: : s : : s : : s
Greenwich to boat
www.CelestialNavigationBook.com 5
7. Almanac pages “Increments and Corrections”, to convert times to arcs

(i.e. to angles)
Knowing the time it takes for the sun to travel from one meridian to another, we can calculate the
angular distance between the meridians, i.e. the difference in longitude between the two meridians.
UTC time of sun’s

crossing of boat meridian 19 : 31 : 18 23 : 08: 12 01 : 23: 49
(noon sight)
UTC time of sun’s crossing
of Greenwich meridian 12 : 16 : 00 11: 48: 00 12 : 09: 00
(previous UTC day)
(Almanac)
Time for sun’s travel from
: : : : : :
one meridian to the other
° of longitude ° ° °
for the hours only 0 0 . 0 ' 0 0 . 0 ' 0 0 . 0 '
° and ' of longitude for the ° ' ° ' ° '
minutes and seconds of time . . .
Total = difference in ° ' ° ' ° '
longitude . . .
8. Prediction of time (UTC) when the sun will cross the boat meridian
Knowing, from the Almanac daily pages, the UTC time when the sun crosses the meridian of Greenwich, and given the
longitude of the boat, we can determine the UTC time when the sun will cross the meridian of the boat.
Time of sun’s crossing of the Greenwich

meridian (from the Almanac) 12 : 09 : 28 s 11 : 47 : 46 s 12 : 13 : 11 s
Longitude of the boat 123° 12.50' W 65° 28.75' E 18° 49.25' W
1. Time it will take the sun to travel from
Greenwich to the boat, or from the boat to
Greenwich, for the ° only of boat longitude : : 00 s : : 0 0 s : : 00 s
2. Additional time it will take the
sun to travel because of the '
(and fractions of ') of the boat longitude + 0 0 : : s + 0 0 : : s + 0 0 : : s
3. Total time between Greenwich and the boat
longitude : : s : : s : : s
4. Time of sun crossing of the Greenwich
meridian (UTC) 12 : 09 : 28 s 11 : 47 : 46 s 12 : 13 : 11 s
5. T
otal time from 3.
(+ if boat long W; – if boat long E) + + +
– : : s – : : s – : : s
UTC time when the sun will cross
the boat meridian (4 + or – 5) : : s : : s : : s
9. Meridian and zone times; determination of longitude

1. What is the UTC time when the sun crosses the meridian of Greenwich, July 1, 2003?__________________________
2. What is the meridian time when the sun crosses the meridian of Vancouver? _________________________________
3. On what meridian is the “zone time” based for the province?______________________________________________
4. When, on July 1, 2003, the sun is at its highest point over English Bay (long: 123º 10.5' W), what is the zone time in
BC?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
5. When it is 13:32 in BC (zone time) on that day, what time is it along the meridian of Greenwich?_________________
6. Captain Vancouver sets his watch to read 12:00:00 when the sun is at its zenith over English Bay February 9, 1793
(Long. 123º 10.5' W). Exploring the West Coast of Vancouver Island, five days later, he notes that the sun is at its zenith
at 12:14:05. He knows that his chronometer loses 1s per day. What name does he give to the Sound which he has just
discovered?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
10. GHA and Dec from the Almanac for the sun’s GP (on the hour only)
Read the coordinates of the sun’s GP on the Almanac (GHA and Dec) for the days and times (UTC).
Day and time April 19 June 30 Oct 29
Time (UTC) 14:00:00 05:00:00 17:00:00
GHA ° ' ° ' ° '

. . .
Dec ° ' ° ' ° '

. . .
Exercises 11-15
Chapters 4 (continued), 5, 6, 7 & 8 of the Celestial Navigation book
Interpolation of GHA and Dec for Exact Times of Sights;

Local Hour Angle; Latitude by Noon Sight
9
11. GHA and Dec from the Almanac for the sun’s GP (interpolation for min & s)
Read the coordinates of the sun’s GP on the Almanac (GHA and Dec) for the hours, and interpolate
for minutes and seconds of time.
Day and time Feb 02 July 01 Oct 29
Time (UTC) 13 : 15 : 25 s 05 : 06 : 13 s 17 : 28 : 33 s
° ' ° ' ° '

GHA for hours only
. . .
Increment of GHA for ° ' ° ' ° '
minutes and sec + . + . + .
° ' ° ' ° '
Total GHA
. . .
Dec for hours only ° ' ° ' ° '
(N or S) . . .
(d + or – in '/ h) (d = '/ h) (d = '/ h) (d = '/ h)
Increment of Dec ' ' '

for min . . .
° ' ° ' ° '
Total Dec
. . .
12. Local Hour Angle

Given the longitude of the boat, and the GHA of the sun, is the sun east or west of us? In other
words, are we taking the sight in the morning or afternoon? How many degrees of longitude is the
sun’s GP away from out boat, measured westward, i.e. the Local Hour Angle (LHA).
Note: LHA = distance of from the boat longitude to the sun’s GP, counted westward.
If boat longitude is West, LHA = GHA – boat longitude;

If boat longitude is East, LHA = GHA + boat longitude.
Add 360º to the GHA in order to allow the subtraction of the west longitude of the boat if required.
Remove 360º from the result if the addition of the east longitude of the boat results in a number larger
than 360.
GHA 158° 52.4' 19° 23.8' 205° 42.6'
GHA (add 360° if ° ' ° ' ° '

required) . . .
+ longitude E ° ' ° ' ° '
– longitude W . . .
LHA = Total (subtract ° ' ° ' ° '
360° if required) . . .
AM or PM
13. Latitude by noon sights

Determine the boat latitude knowing the maximum sun altitude of the sun over the horizon (Ho
max, sun crossing of boat meridian), and the Dec of the sun at the time of sight (calculated from
the Almanac).
At noon (boat-meridian time), the sun is at its zenith when it crosses the observer’s meridian.
A sight on the sun at that instant allows the calculation of the latitude from the sun altitude Ho
max: the latitude is the Zenith Distance (ZD = 90° – Ho) plus or minus the Declination of the
sun, depending on whether the sun’s declination is North or South of the equator. If the boat is
between the equator and the sun’s GP, then the latitude is Dec – ZD.
Dec & Lat. “same name” Dec & Lat. “contrary names”
Lat. > Dec Lat. < Dec (Tropics)
Lat. = Dec + ZD Lat. = Dec – ZD Lat. = ZD – Dec
Approximate boat latitude 50° N 28° N 10° S

Sun’s Declination from
21° 18.3' N 12° 24.0' S 21° 23.0' S
Almanac: Dec:
90° = 89° 60.0' 89° 60.0' 89° 60.0'
Measured sun’s altitude
61° 32.4' 49° 45.9' 78° 45.2'
Ho
Zenith distance ZD = 90° ° ' ° ' ° '
– Ho . . .
Boat latitude =
“Dec + ZD” or
“Dec – ZD” or ° ' ° ' ° '
“ZD – Dec” . . .
14. Approximate latitude by Polaris

Even without the several small corrections from the Polaris Almanac tables, a sight on Polaris can give
us our latitude, with an error of, at the most, 1.5°: Lat. = Ho.
Altitude of Polaris,
after correction of all
sextant and sight errors:
Ho = 49° 59.5' 68° 71.2' 89° 00.0'
Latitude of observer ° ' ° ' ° '

. . .
15. Approximate longitude by noon sights, knowing the time when the sun crossed the
boat meridian
Knowing the UTC time of passage of the sun over the Greenwich meridian (from the Almanac), and
having established the approximate UTC time of passage of the sun over our local meridian from a
series of sights of the sun before, during and after noon (boat-meridian time), we can calculate our
approximate longitude:

of Greenwich meridian 12 : 16 11: 48 12 : 09
(Almanac)
of boat meridian (estimated
19 : 26 22 : 33 01 : 54
from a series of sextant
sights)
Difference in time (bigger

: : :
number minus smaller one)
° of longitude for the hours ° ° °

° and ' of longitude for the ° ' ° ' ° '
minutes of time . . .
Total = “boat longitude”
(E if local noon is earlier; ° ' ° ' ° '
W if local noon is later) . . .
Exercises 16-19
Chapters 9, 10 & 11 of the Celestial Navigation book
Sight Reduction Tables
13
16. Azimuth Angle of the sun “Z” (bearing of the sun “Zn”), and calculated altitude
“Hc” from the Sight Reduction Tables Pub. No. 249 (without any interpolation).
Given an assumed latitude (in round degrees), a Declination of the sun (also in round degrees), and a
LHA (also in round degrees) between the assumed longitude of the boat and the sun meridian (GHA),
we can read, in the Sight Reduction Tables, the azimuth “Z” of the sun, and calculate its bearing
“Zn”. We can also read the calculated altitude “Hc” that the sun would have if we were exactly at our
assumed position.
Assume that the sun crosses the meridian of Greenwich at exactly 12:00 each day. This allows the
calculation of the sun’s GHA without the use of the Almanac tables.
Assumed latitude 49° N 42° N 40° S
Date of sight 22 June 22 September 22 December
Declination of the sun

° ° °
(approximate, in round degrees) 00' 00' 00'
“Same name” or “Contrary name”?
UTC time of the sun sight 4 : 0 0 ' 1 7 : 0 0 ' 2 0 : 0 0 '

Greenwich Hour Angle of the sun ° ° °
00' 00' 00'
Assumed longitude of the boat 060° E 015° W 135° W
Local Hour Angle (angle between
the meridians of the boat and of the
° ° °
sun) 00' 00' 00'
Hc for the ° of Dec ° ' ° ' ° '

180° or 360° if needed (see “N. Lat.”
& “S. Lat.” cases below) ° ° °
00' 00' 00'

Azimuth angle Z +/– ° ° °
00' 00' 00'

Sun bearing Zn ° ° °
00' 00' 00'
N. Lat.: If LHA greater than 180°............. Zn = Z

If LHA less than 180°.................. Zn = 360° – Z
S. Lat.: If LHA greater than 180°............. Zn = 180° – Z

If LHA less than 180°.................. Zn = 180° + Z
17. Bearing of the sun "Z" (sun's azimuth “Zn”), and calculated altitude “Hc” from
the Sight Reduction Tables Pub. No. 249 (with interpolation for the ' of Dec).
Given an assumed latitude (in round degrees), and a Local Hour Angle (also in round degrees) between
the assumed meridian of the boat and the sun meridian, we can read, in the Sight Reduction Tables,
the azimuth “Z” of the sun; then calculate the bearing “Zn” of the sun; and calculate the altitude “Hc”
that the sun would have if we were exactly at our assumed position. By comparing Hc with Ho (actual
altitude of the sun, measured with the sextant), we can tell how far off we are from our assumed
position. This is the Marcq Saint Hilaire method.
Assumed latitude 42° N 49° N 49° N

Declination of the sun for the
11° 28.3' S 19° 54.8' S 21° 09.1' N
exact time of the sight
“Same name” or “Contrary
name”?
Local Hour Angle
(between the boat and sun 43° 325° 292°
meridians)
° ' ° ' ° '
1. Hc for the ° of Dec
. . .
2. Change in ’of Hc for each ° + + +
of Dec d = + /– ( '/° ) – ( '/° ) – ( '/° ) – ( '/° )
3. Interpolation of Hc for ' of
Dec (Table 5, last page of + ' + ' + '
– – –
HO 249)
° ' ° ' ° '
Total Hc (1 + 3)

180° or 360° if needed
(see “N. Lat.” & “S. Lat.” cases ° ° °
below) 00' 00' 00'
Azimuth angle Z ° ° °
+/– 00' 00' 00'
° ° °
Sun bearing (azimuth) Zn
00' 00' 00'

If LHA less than 180°.................. Zn = 360°– Z
S. Lat.: If LHA greater than 180°............. Zn = 180°– Z

18. Choices of “Assumed Lat.” and “Assumed Long.” to simplify calculations using the
Sight Reduction Tables Pub. No. 249
Given a DR latitude, we can chose our assumed latitude as the nearest latitude in round degrees.
We can chose our assumed longitude in such a way that the Local Hour Angle (angle between the
assumed meridian of the boat and the sun meridian) is a round number of degrees:
If the boat is WEST of the Greenwich meridian (west longitude), LHA = GHA-Assumed
Boat Longitude. We need to choose, for our assumed longitude, the same number of minutes
than in the GHA, since the minutes will cancel out by subtraction.
In the case of longitude EAST, LHA = GHA + Assumed Boat Longitude. We need to
choose, for our assumed longitude, a number of minutes equal to (60' – minutes of GHA):
the minutes will cancel out by addition.
In either case, the degrees of assumed boat longitude may have to be adjusted by 1 (up or down) so
that the assumed position is as close as possible as the DR.
DR coordinates: latitude 49° 28.3' N 45° 54.8' N 21° 09.1' S

longitude 123° 19.7' W 009° 12.4' E 146° 51.1' W
Assumed latitude ° 00' N ° 00' N ° 00' S
Greenwich Hour Angle (at
011° 37.2' 219° 23.1' 321° 09.1'
time of sight)
Add 360° to GHA if
required to allow subtracting ° ' ° ' ° '
the assumed longitude . . .
Assumed longitude
For W Long,
use the ' of GHA
For E Long, ° ' ° ' ° '
use “60 – ' of GHA” . W . E . W
° ° °
Local Hour Angle
00' 00' 00'

If LHA less than 180°.................. Zn = 360°– Z
S. Lat.: If LHA greater than 180°............. Zn = 180°– Z

19. Review exercise:

From the Sight Reduction Tables Pub. No 249, we can determine the bearing of the sun
“Zn" and calculated altitude “Hc”. By comparing Hc with our observed altitude Ho, we can
calculate by how much the assumed arc of circle of position should be moved (Marcq Saint
Hilaire method).
Sight No: # 19
DR latitude 48° 45.3' N
DR longitude 123° 03.9' W
Sun’s GHA 78° 26.5'
Sun’s Dec (corrected) 22° 35.3' N
Observed altitude Ho 46° 05.2'
Find the Local Hour Angle LHA; the coordinates of the assumed position, the computed altitude
Hc; the azimuth angle Z; the bearing of the sun Zn; and the intercept (“Towards” or “Away from”
the sun’s GP).
Use the following work forms, with a blank globe, and the pre-calibrated blank Mercator charts.
Sight 19
SIGHT REDUCTION TABLES: INTERCEPT, and BEARING Zn (“Azimuth”) of the SUN
Sun’s GHA (Almanac, Daily pages); LHA
DR LAT N º ' º '

1 15 Sun’s GHA .
S .
DR LONG E º ' + 3 6 0° 00 .0
2 . 15 + 360° if required to allow º '
W 16
subtraction in 18 .
ASSUMED LONG º from (2)

17 [ ' in 16] if long W W–
º '
[60' – ' in 16] if long E E+ .
LOCAL HOUR ANGLE º
18
16 + or – 17 0 0 . 0'
Subtract 360° if LHA > 360° – 3 6 0º 0 0 . 0'
19 Copy LHA to 23
Sight Reduction Tables HO 249
LHA (total in 18 above, minus º

23
360° if LHA > 360°) 0 0 . 0'
ASSUMED LAT N º
24
from DR in 1, rounded off S 0 0 . 0'
DEC CORRECTED N º '
25
S .
COMPUTED ALT Hc
for 23, 24 & 25; same or
26
contrary; for DEC ° only. º '
Note d ( + / – ) in 27, & Z in 31 .0
d (+ / – ' per ° of Dec)
27 CORR’N to Hc for DEC ' + '
table 5 (back of book), for ' in 25 – .0
HC CORRECTED for ' of DEC º '
N. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = Z 28
in 25 .0
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 360 – Z º '
29 OBS. ALT Ho .
S. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = 180 – Z
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 180 + Z INTERCEPT Ho > Hc: T
30 T/A
(28 – 29 or 29 – 28) Ho < Hc: A .
360º 180º
31 N. LAT Z º S. LAT Z º
32 Zn º Zn º
Exercises 20-28
Chapters 1-11 of the Celestial Navigation book
Review of the Sun; Plotting
21
20. Interpolate GHA for the exact time of the sight

Sight taken on April 21, 2003, at 06:21:33 UTC.
1. Estimate the approximate GHA of the sun. ________________________________________________________
2. Calculate the exact GHA of the sun. ____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
21. Interpolate Dec for the exact time of the sight
Sight taken on August 22, 2003, at 14:06:18 UTC.
1. Estimate the approximate Dec of the sun. _______________________________________
2. Calculate the exact Dec of the sun. _______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
22. Calculate the LHA
1. B
oat at 120º 18.3' W 2. Boat at 147º 58.2' E
Sun’s GHA at 105º 13.2' W Sun’s GHA at 255º 08.9' W
LHA? LHA?
________________________________ ______________________________________
_________________________________ ______________________________________
_________________________________ ______________________________________
_________________________________ ______________________________________
_________________________________ ______________________________________
23. Read Hc and Z; calculate Zn (no interpolation)

Boat Lat.: 39º N
Dec of the sun: 13º N
LHA: 301º
1. During what months of the year would the sight have been taken? _____________________________________________________
2. Was this a morning or afternoon sight? ____________________________________________________________________________________
3. What was the sun’s exact altitude Hc over the horizon at the time of sight?____________________________________________
4. What was the sun’s azimuth Z? _____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What was the sun’s bearing Zn? _____________________________________________________________________________________________
24. Interpolate Hc for the specific Dec at the time of sight

Boat Lat.: 49º N
Dec of the sun: 19º 15' S
LHA: 034º
What is the exact altitude of the sun (Hc) at the time of sight? _________________
25. Plot a Mercator chart for the location of the boat

Prepare a Mercator chart centered on 40º N, 141º W, with the parallels one degree apart.
26. Plot a morning sight

UTC date: 04 July 2003
Log: 1,350 NM
Course: 250° T
Speed: approx. 5 kn (use the log to determine the exact distance travelled)
DR position: 40° 17.0' N; 140° 08.4' W
Time of sight: 17 h 06 min 37 s UTC
Chrono error: slow, 0 min 42 s
Body: Sun LL
Sextant Alt: Hs = 33° 45.3'
Index error: on the arc, 4.8'
Height of eye: 3.1 m
Draw the LOP at 17 h 07 min
27. Plot a noon sight

Log: 1,376 NM
Course: 250° T
Speed: approx. 5 kn (use the log to determine the exact distance travelled)
DR position: 40° 12.0' N; 140° 28.0' W
Body: Sun UL
Index error: off the arc, 3.5'
Height of eye: 12.0 ft
Draw the noon LOP; mark the noon fix, by advancing the morning LOP.
Sight 26
Plotting of sights 26, 27 and 28
Sight 27
28. Plotting an afternoon sight

Log: 1,409 NM
Course: 250° T
Speed: approx. 5 kn (Use the log to determine the exact distance travelled.)
DR position: 39° 53.8' N; 141° 03.2' W
Time of sight: 03 h 05 min 24 s UTC
Chrono error: slow, 0 min 42 s
Body: Sun LL
Draw the LOP at 03 h 06 min; mark the 03 h 06 min fix by advancing the noon LOP (latitude line).
Sight 28
Exercises 29 - 33
Chapters 12 & 13 of the Celestial Navigation book
Twilight; Moon
29
29. Twilight
Twilights times for sunset, Nov. 18, 2003, boat at 47° 38.2' N , 125° 18.7' W .
a) At boat latitude, along the Greenwich meridian (or along the boat meridian, using the boat-meridian
time): Almanac Times
Latitude Sunset Civil Twilight Nautical Twilight
At this Lat. #1, on Greenwich meridian 45° N : : :
At this Lat. #2, on Greenwich meridian 50° N : : :
Difference for 5° of Lat. : : :
Difference for 1° of Lat. : : :

Difference for boat ° of Lat. above or
: : :
below Lats. #1 or 2
Twilight times for an observer at the boat

latitude, on the Greenwich meridian
(Note: twilight times for an observer on
the boat are the same if the boat clock is

set at the local (boat) meridian time)
: : :
b) Using the times applicable to the time zone: Zone times
Sunset Civil Twilight Nautical Twilight

° ' ° ' ° '
Boat longitude
. . .
Nearest meridian at the center of the time-zone (every 15º ° ' ° ' ° '
from Greenwich) . . .
Difference in longitude between “boat meridian” and ° ' ° ' ° '
“meridian at the center of the time zone” . . .
Time for sun travel between the two meridians (conversion of
: : :
arc to time)
Twilight times for an observer at the boat latitude on the
: : :
Greenwich meridian (directly from table in a)
Add or remove the time for the sun travel, to obtain the
: : :
zone-times for the twilights
c) When would you take a sight on stars or planets? __________________
30. Moon observed altitude Ho

Moon, April 19, 2003; UTC 12:14:35. Assume a measured sextant altitude Hs on LL = 31°18.0',
after corrections for index error & Dip, but before the correction specific to the moon. Ho?
Horizontal Parallax “HP” '

for April 19, 12:00 Z .
MOON, LL ° '
Measured sextant altitude after corrections Hs = .
Apparent altitude Ha for Hs = 31°18.0' '
(“Altitude Correction Table – Moon”, top table): + .
Parallax for LL, given HP from above '
(“Altitude Correction Table – Moon”, lower table): + .
Remove 30' for an UL sight
° '
Ho for the moon at 12:14:35
.
31. Moon GHA

Moon, April 19, 2003; UTC 12:14:35. GHA?
MOON
GHA for 12:00 ° '
(Almanac page for April 19) .
Increment for 14 min 35s ° '
(Inc. & Corr. for 14 min & 35s, moon column) + .
Adjustment for actual rotation of the moon,
slightly above the minimum of 14°19'/hr '
“v” = '/hr + .
° '
Total GHA for the moon, at 12:14:35 (sum)
.
32. Moon Declination

Moon, April 19, 12:14:35 UTC. Dec?
MOON
Dec for 12:00 ° '
(Almanac page for April 19) .
Increment rate for Dec, per hour, around 12:00
“d” = '/h
Increment in Dec for 15 min, using “d” above in + '
“Inc. & Corr.” table for 15 min _ .
Total Declination for the moon around 12:14 UTC ° '

.
33. Moon, complete calculations: Ho + GHA + Dec

Moon, July 04, 2003; time of sight: 20: 20: 45 UTC; Ha = 31° 48.0' on UL, after all corrections for
index error and for Dip, but before all the corrections specific to the moon.
Moon altitude & corrections Moon GHA

(end of Almanac, Alt Corr. Tables for Moon) (Almanac, Daily pages)
Time of sight (after GHA of the moon º '
5 : : 15
corrections) UTC For that day, & hours in (5) .
UL º ' MAIN INCREMENT in GHA
10 '
APPARENT ALT. Ha LL . 16 for min & s in (5) º
MAIN CORRECTION to Ha (Inc. & Corr. Table, moon) + .
11 for ° of “App. Alt”, & nearest ' Additional increment “v”
10' (top table) + . for the moon, for min in (5)
17 '
Additional CORRECTION for (Inc. & Corr. Table “v or d”)
“HP” (from daily Almanac) ( “v” = + '/h) + .
and for “UL” or “LL”, GHA TOTAL º '
18
12 (same column, bottom table), (18) +(19) + (20) .
given the Parallax Correction
for day and hour of sight, ' Moon Declination
“HP” = ' + . (Almanac, Daily pages)
'
13 Subtract 30' for a sight on UL DEC of the moon N º '
– . 24
For that day, & hours in (5) S .
OBSERVED ALT. Ho º '
14 INCREMENT in DEC for min
(10) + (11) + (12) [ – (13) ?] .
25 & s in 5 (“d” = + / – '/h) + '
(Inc. & Corr. table “v or d”) – .
DEC TOTAL N º '
26
(24) + (25) S .
Exercise 34 - 40
Chapters 14 to 17 of the Celestial Navigation book
Planets; Stars; Selected Stars; Polaris
33
34. Twilight (review)

UTC date: 31 January 2003
DR position: 47° 40.0' N; 158° 15.0' W
What would be a good time (in UTC) to take a dawn sight of Venus?
Nautical Twilight Civil Twilight Sunrise
At boat Lat. 48° N, for the observer on

: : :
Greenwich meridian (UTC)
Add the hrs & min for the degrees of

: : :
boat longitude
Add the minutes of time for the

: : :
minutes of boat longitude
Twilight times in UTC for the observer

: : :
on the boat
Recommended time of sight:______________________________UTC.
35. Moon (review)

Moon, April 20, 12:06:15 UTC; Ha = 17° 19.9' on LL, after all sextant and Dip corrections.
Ho? GHA? Dec?
Moon altitude & corrections Moon GHA
(end of Almanac, Alt Corr. Tables for Moon) (Almanac, Daily pages)
Time of sight GHA of the moon º '

5 : : 15
(after corrections) UTC For that day, & hours in (5) .
UL º ' MAIN INCREMENT in GHA
10
APPARENT ALT. Ha LL . 16 for min & s in (5) º '
MAIN CORRECTION to Ha (Inc. & Corr. Table, moon) + .
11 for ° of “App. Alt”, & nearest ' Additional increment “v” for the
10' (top table) + . moon, for min in (5)
17
Additional CORRECTION for (Inc. & Corr. Table “v or d”) '
“HP” (from daily Almanac) (“v” = + '/h) + .
and for “UL” or “LL”, (same GHA TOTAL º '
18
12 column, bottom table), given (15) +(16) + (17) .
the Parallax Correction for
day and hour of sight, ' Moon Declination
“HP” = ' + . (Almanac, Daily pages)
' DEC of the moon N º '
13 Subtract 30' for a sight on UL 24
– . For that day, & hours in (5) S .
OBSERVED ALT. Ho º ' INCREMENT in DEC for min
14
(10) + (11) + (12) [ – (13) ?] . 25 & s in 5 (“d” = + / – '/h) + '
DEC TOTAL N º '
26
(24) + (25) S .
36. Planets (Venus)

UTC date: 31 January 2003
Log: 1,250 NM
Course: 200° T
DR position: 47° 40.0' N; 158° 15.0' W
Chrono error: fast, 2 min 20 s
Body: Venus
Under a very clear sky rendering the horizon visible in the general direction of the rising sun, the
sight on Venus is taken at 16 h 31 min 38 s UTC, slightly before the beginning of the nautical
twilight. Using the attached work-form, complete the Sight Reduction calculations, and plot the
LOP for the sight on Venus.
Sight 36
Plotting of sight 36
GHA for Aries º '

13
37. Stars, GHA, Dec for hours of time of sight .
INCREMENT in GHA for Aries º '
UTC date: 03 July 2003 14
for min & s; Inc. & Corr. table + .
Body: Vega
GHA TOTAL for Aries º '
Time of sight: 13:48:12 UTC 15
(13) + (14) .
GHA? Dec?
º '
16 SHA of Star* for that day
.
º '
17 GHA for the Star* (15) + (16)
.
DEC of Star* N º '
26
S .
38. Stars (Betelgeuse), complete calculations

Betelgeuse; 02 Feb 2003, 03:14:22 UTC; DR: 39º15'N, 130º30'W; GHA? LHA? Dec? Zn?
DR LAT C opy ° to (25) N º '

1 UTC DATE
after rounding S .
DR LONG E º ' 5 UTC TIME h min s
2
W .
GHA of Aries (Almanac, Daily pages);

GHA of Star (Almanac, Daily pages); LHA of Star Reduction Tables, Pub. No. 249
GHA for Aries º ' LHA (total in (21) above, minus º
13 24
for hours in (5) . 360° if required)* 0 0 . 0'
INCREMENT in GHA for Aries º ' ASSUMED LAT N º
14 25
for min & s (5); Inc. & Corr. table + . from DR in (1), rounded off S 0 0 . 0'
' DEC of Star* N º '
15 GHA TOTAL for Aries º 26
(13) + (14) . S .
SHA of Star* º ' COMPUTED ALT Hc
16 for 27, 28 & 29; same or
for that day . 27
contrary, for Dec ° only. º '
GHA for the Star* º '
17 Note d ( + / – ) in 28, & Z in 30 .0
(15) + (16) .
d( + / – ' per ° of Dec)
+360º 00.0 28 CORR’N to Hc for ' of Dec. Use + '
GHA for the Star* º ' “Table 5” (back of book) – .0
18
(17), or (17) + 360° if required . º '
ASSUMED LONG º from (2) 29 HC CORRECTED for ' of Dec
.0
20 [ ' in (19) ] if long W W– º '
[60' – ' in (19)] if long E E+ .
LOCAL HOUR ANGLE (Star) º
21 00.0' 360º 180º
[(17) or (19)] +/– (20)*
N. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = Z 33 Zn º Zn º
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 360 – Z
S. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = 180 – Z
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 180 + Z
39. Selected Stars

UTC date: October 29, 18:15:12
DR position: 11° 28.0' N; 164° 17.5' E
Hc and Zn of the three best stars for a sight?
DR LAT C opy ° to (13) N º '

1
after rounding S .
DR LONG E º '
2
W .
5 UTC times : :
º '
6 GHA for Aries for hours in (5) .
7
for min & s (5); Inc. & Corr. table + .
GHA TOTAL for Aries º '
8
(6) + (7) .
+ 360º 00.0
GHA for Aries º '
9
(8), or (8) – 360° if required .
10 [ ' in (16) ] if long W W– º '
[60' – ' in (16)] if long E E+ .
11 LOCAL HOUR ANGLE Aries º

(8) or (9) +/– (10) 00.0'
Subtract 360º if required –360º 00.0
12 LHA Aries º
(11), minus 360° if required 00.0'
ASSUMED LAT N º
13
from DR in (1), rounded off S 00.0'
STAR NAMES:
COMPUTED Alt Hc for Stars, from Vol. 1, ' ' '
21 º º º
given 12 (LHA ) and 13 (Assumed Lat.) .0 .0 .0
COMPUTED Zn for Star, from Vol 1,
23 º º º
given 12 (LHA ) and 13 (Assumed Lat.) Zn
40. Sight with Polaris, complete calculations

Celestial body: Polaris DR position: 43º 30' N; 128º 20' W
UTC date: June 15, 2003 Sextant altitude Hs: 43º 32.1'
Time of sight: 11:20:42 (UTC) Index error: “on the arc”: 12.5'
Chrono error: 4 min 36s slow Height of eye: 2.5m above water
Boat latitude? Exact bearing of Polaris (Zn)?
Hint: Boat latitude = Ho (on Polaris) –1º + a0 + a1 +a2
Review Exercises 41 – 58
Chapters 14 to 17 of the Celestial Navigation book
Review Exercises:
Sun, Twilight, Moon, Planets, Stars,
Selected Stars, Polaris
41
Session 8, Review Exercises 41-58
41. Time of sight

CHRONOMETER h min s
Chrono 11:02:12 (UTC) CRONO. SLOW +
Chrono fast, 03 min 30 s CORRECTION FAST – min s
UTC corrected time? UTC TIME h min s
42. Sun altitude Ho over the horizon (Almanac, Altitude Correction Table)
UTC date: 15 March 2003 º '
6 SEXTANT ALT Hs
Body: Sun LL .
Sextant altitude: Hs = 38º 00.0' Off the arc + '
7
Index error: 12.0' on the arc INDEX CORRECTION On the arc – .
Height of eye: 2.9 m above water º '
8 CORRECTED Hs
.
Observed altitude Ho?
'
9 HT OF EYE ( ) DIP –
.
º '
10 APPARENT ALT. Ha
.
MAIN CORRECTION for Ha UL – '
11
SUN: Summer or Winter, LL or UL LL + .
º '
12 OBSERVED ALT. Ho
.

43. Planet altitude (Almanac, Altitude Correction Table)

UTC date: 15 Aug 2003 º '
6 SEXTANT ALT Hs
Body: Mars .
Sextant altitude: Hs = 29º 00.0' Off the arc + '
7
Index error: 04.4' off the arc INDEX CORRECTION On the arc – .
º '
Height of eye: 9.3 feet 8 CORRECTED Hs
.
above water
'
.
º '
10 APPARENT ALT. Ha
.
MAIN CORRECTION for Ha '
11
In the Almanac, use “Stars & Planets” – .
Additional Correction for MARS or '
12
VENUS + .
º '
13 OBSERVED ALT. Ho
.
44. Moon altitude (end of Almanac, Alt. Corr. Tables for Moon)
UTC date: 19 April 2003
Body: Moon UL
Time of sight: 04:15:00 UTC
Sextant altitude: Hs = 32º 00.0'
Index error: 31.0' on the arc
Height of eye: 2.9 m above water
Observed altitude Ho?
º '
6 SEXTANT ALT Hs
.
Off the arc + '
7
INDEX CORRECTION On the arc – .
º '
8 CORRECTED Hs
.
'
.
º '
10 APPARENT ALT. Ha
.
MAIN CORRECTION to Ha '
11
for ° of “App. Alt”, & nearest 10' (top table) + .
Additional CORRECTION
for “HP” (from daily Almanac),
12 and for sights on “UL” or “LL”, (same
column, bottom table) '
(HP = . ') + .
'
13 Subtract 30' for a sight on UL
– .
OBSERVED ALT. Ho º '
14
(10) + (11) + (12) [ – (13) ?] .
45. Latitude by noon sight

UTC date: 29 October 2003
DR position: 46º 10.0' N; 125º 20.0' W
Meridian passage of sun: 11h 44 min
Sextant altitude: Ho = 30º 29.0' after all corrections
Boat latitude at noon?
LATITUDE BY NOON SIGHT

GREENWICH DATE:___________________; SUN: LL / UL ; LOG:__________; COURSE:___________
DR LAT N ° '
1
S .
DR LONG E ° '
2
W .
SUN MERIDIAN PASSAGE in local meridian time (in the

3 h min
Almanac page for the day; approximately 12:00 noon)
CONVERT DR ° of LONG to TIME E –
4 h min
(use table “Conversion of Arcs to Time” ) W +
CONVERT DR ' of LONG to TIME E –
5 min s
(use table “Conversion of Arcs to Time”) W +
MER. PASS. in UTC (3 +/– 4 +/– 5) at the boat longitude
6 h min s
(pre-calculated, or measured from several sights)
N º '
14 DEC of SUN for hours in 6
S .
INCREMENT for min in 6 (d = + / – ) + '
15
(use “Increment and Correction” tables for d) – .
DEC TOTAL N º '
16
Copy to 20 S .
17 ZENITH 90° = 89º 6 0 .0 '

° '
18 ALT OBS Ho
.
ZENITH DISTANCE ZD ° ' Lat. & Dec same name, & Lat. > Dec:
19
(90º – Ho), i.e. 17 – 18 . Lat. = ZD + Dec;
DEC N º '
20 Lat. & Dec same name, & Lat. < Dec:
from 16 S .
Lat. = Dec – ZD;
LATITUDE =
21 +/– ZD +/– DEC, +/– 19 +/– 20 N º ' Lat. & Dec contrary names:
Should match DR Lat. in 1 S . Lat. = ZD – Dec
46. Moon Declination (Almanac, Daily pages)

UTC date: 20 April 2003
Body: Moon
Declination?
DEC of the moon N º '

24
For that day & hours S .
INCREMENT in DEC for min
25 & s in 5 (“d” = + / – '/h) + º '
DEC TOTAL N º '
26
(24) + (25) S .
47. Star Declination (Almanac, Daily pages)

UTC date: 16 June 2003
Body: Dubhe
Declination?
DEC of Star * N º '

24
for that day S .
48. Sun’s GHA; assumed longitude; & LHA from the boat to the sun
Body: Sun
DR longitude: 129º 58.3' W
GHA? Assumed longitude? LHA?
GHA of sun º '

13
For that day, & hours of sight .
INCREMENT in GHA º '
14
for min & s of sight; Inc. & Corr. table + .
GHA TOTAL º '
15
13 +14 .
Add 360º if required + 3 6 0° 00 .0
15 + 360° if W longitude > GHA, º '
16
to allow subtraction in 18 .
ASSUMED LONG º from DRº
17 [ ' in 16] if long W W– º '
[60' – ' in 16] if long E E+ .
LOCAL HOUR ANGLE º '
18
15 or 16 +/– 17 00 .0
49. Planet GHA; assumed longitude; & LHA from the boat to the planet
UTC date: 28 Jan 2003
Body: Venus
DR longitude: 122º 05.0' W
Assumed longitude? LHA?
GHA of particular planet GHA º '

18
14 for that day, and for hours in 5 º ' from 17 .
Record Dec in 23, and d in 24 . + 3 6 0 ° 0 0 . 0'
INCREMENT in GHA for min Add 360° if W longitude > º '
15 º ' 19
and s in 5 (Inc. and Corr. table) GHA, to allow subtraction in 21 .
+ .
Additional adjustment “v” for ASSUMED LONG º from (2)
20 [ ' in 16] if long W W – º '
particular planet, for min in 5
16 [60' – ' in 16] if long E E+ .
(Inc. and Corr. table) + '
(“v” = + / – '/h) – . LOCAL HOUR ANGLE º
21
GHA TOTAL º ' 19 +/ – 20 0 0 . 0'
17 Subtract 360º if required – 360° 0 0 . 0'
14 +15 + 16 Copy to 18 .
º
22
0 0 . 0'
50. Star GHA; assumed longitude; & LHA from the boat to the Star
UTC date: 31 Jan 2003
GHA for Aries º '
Body: Aldebaran 13
for hours of sight .
DR longitude: 068º 30.0' E 14
Assumed longitude? LHA?
15 GHA TOTAL for Aries º '
(14) + (15) .
SHA of Star * º '
16
for that day .
GHA for the Star * º '
17
(16) + (17) .
Add 360º if required +360° 00 .0
GHA for the Star * º '
19
(18), or (18)+360° if required .
ASSUMED LONG º from DRº
20 [ ' in 16] if long W W– º '
[60' – ' in 16] if long E E+ .
LOCAL HOUR ANGLE (Star) º
21
[(18) or (19)] +/– (20) 0 0 . 0'
Subtract 360º if required –360° 0 0 . 0'
º
22 LHA of the Star *
0 0 . 0'
51. Sight Reduction Tables for any celestial object

Assume, for the celestial object:
LHA: 330º
Boat Lat.: 48º 20' N
Observed altitude Ho: 16˚ 35.0'
Dec: 20˚ 26.3' S after interpolation for minutes of sight time
Intercept?
º
23 LHA
0 0 . 0'
ASSUMED LAT N º
24
from DR in 1, rounded off S 0 0 . 0'
N º '
25
DEC CORRECTED S .
COMPUTED ALT Hc
for 22, 23 & 24; “same” or
26 '
“contrary”, for DEC ° only. º
Note d ( + / – ) in 27, & Z in 31 .0
d( + / – )
27 CORR’N to Hc for DEC ' in 24 + '
table 5 (back of book) – .0
º '
28 HC CORRECTED for ' in 24
.0
º '
29 OBS. ALT Ho
.
INTERCEPT Ho > Hc: T '
30
Ho < Hc: A T/A .
N. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = Z

360º 180º
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 360 – Z
S. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = 180 – Z
32 Zn º Zn º
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 180 + Z
52. Hc and Zn for Selected Stars

Time of sight: 20:15:12 UTC (after chrono correction)
DR position 39º 08.0' N 036º 30.0' W
Three best stars? Hc and Zn for each?
Star “V”: Ho = 23º 38.0' '

DR LAT C
opy ° to (13) N º
Star “S”: Ho = 38º 51.0' 1
after rounding S .
Star “P”: Ho = 29º 26.0' '
DR LONG E º
2
W .
5 UTC times : :
6 GHA for Aries º '

for hours in (5) .
7
8 GHA TOTAL for Aries º '

(6) + (7) .
Add 360° if W Long. > GHA,
to allow subtraction in 11 +360º 00.0
9 GHA for Aries '

(8), or (8)+360° if required .
10 [ ' in 16] if long W W– º '
[60' – ' in 16] if long E E+ .
11 LOCAL HOUR ANGLE (Aries)

(8) or (9) +/– (10) º 0 0 . 0'
Subtract 360° if LHA > 360° –360º 0 0 . 0'
12 LHA Aries º
(11), or (11– 360°) if required 0 0 . 0'
ASSUMED LAT N º
13
from DR in (1), rounded off S 0 0 . 0'
STAR NAMES:

20 OBSERVED ALT. Ho º . ' º . ' º . '
COMPUTED Alt Hc for Stars, from Vol. 1, ' º ' º '
21 º
given Assumed Lat. & LHA of Aries .0 .0 .0
INTERCEPT (20) – (21) or (21) – (20) ' ' '
22 T/A T/A T/A
Ho > Hc: T ; Ho < Hc: A . . .
COMPUTED Zn for Star, from Vol 1, given º º º
23
Assumed Lat. & LHA of Aries Zn:
53. Twilights (boat-meridian time)

Day of sight: July 01, 2003
DR latitude: 49º N.
Sunset? Civil & Nautical EVENING twilights? Use the boat-meridian times.
Almanac Latitude Sunset Civil Twilight Nautical Twilight

At this Almanac Lat. #1,
º : : :
on Greenwich meridian
At this Almanac Lat. #2,
º : : :
on Greenwich meridian
Difference for 5° of Almanac Lat. : : :
Difference for 1° of Almanac Lat.

Difference for one or two ° of boat Lat.
above or below Almanac Lats. #1 & 2
UTC at boat Lat. on

Greenwich meridian
: : :
(= boat-meridian time)
54. Twilights (boat zone-time)

Day of sight: Nov. 18, 2003
DR position: 45º 00.0' N 123º 19.3' W
Express the sunrise time, and DAWN twilights, in the zone-time of the zone within which the boat is located.
'
Boat longitude º
.
Nearest center-of-time-zone meridian
º
(every 15º from Greenwich) 00.0
Difference in longitude between boat
meridian and center-of-time-zone º '
meridian .
Time for sun travel between the two
: : :
meridians (conversion of arc to time)
Nautical Twilight Civil Twilight Sunrise
Almanac twilight times (dawn) : : :
Add or remove, to obtain the
: : :
zone-time for the twilights
55. Zone time to UTC, and to boat-meridian time

Wrist-watch on the zone time, reading 04:25:37 (no watch error).
Boat Long. = 148º 25.0' W
UTC time? Boat-meridian time?
(no work form: use the blank space below)
56. Latitude by Polaris

Time of sight: 05:25:18 UTC, after chronometer correction
DR position: 40º 30.0' N, 125º 10.0' W
Sextant altitude: Hs = 40º 15.0'
Index error: 10.2 on the arc
Boat latitude at the time of sight? Exact bearing of Polaris (Zn)?
57. Plotting a chart for the local ocean-area

Prepare a plotting sheet to be used for Question 58. Its center should be at
Lat. 47˚ N and Long.130˚ W. Label the printed parallels of latitude one degree
apart, and do the same for the meridians of longitude.
58. Plotting LOPs and Advanced LOPs on the chart (no calculations required)
a) On the plotting sheet prepared for Exercise 57, plot the morning sun bearings Zn, and the
corresponding Lines of Position, after correcting for the intercept.
b) Advance the morning LOP to noon, and establish the noon fix.
c) Advance the noon LOP to the evening, and establish the evening fix.
Morning Sight (Plotting only):

Assumed Position AP1: 48ºN; 129º 10.0W
Course: 230º T
Speed: 10 kn
Log: 2,350 NM
Time of sight on the sun: 05:30 (boat-meridian time)
True bearing of the sun: Zn = 100º
Intercept for AP1: A, 12'
Noon Sight (Plotting only):

Course: 230º T
Speed: 10 kn
Log: 2,415 NM (distance travelled during the morning: 65 NM)
Calculated Lat.: 47º 35.0' N
Evening Sight (Plotting only):

Assumed Position AP3: 47ºN; 131º 32.0' W
Course: 230º T
Speed: 10 kn
Log: 2,480 NM (distance travelled during the afternoon: 65 NM)
True bearing of the sun: Zn = 260º
Intercept for A3: T, 08'
Home Session 1
Home Exercises 1-9 following Session 3 on the

Interpolation of GHA and Dec for Exact Times of Sights;
Local Hour Angle; and Latitude by Noon Sight.
55
Home Exercises 1-9 following Session 3
1. James Cook sun sights

On June 22, 1770, Captain Cook furled all sails and took a sun sight, using his new Harrison chronometer
H4. In his Nautical Almanac, he noted that, on that day, the sun was crossing the Greenwich meridian
at 12:08.
After correcting for the chronometer error, he established the UTC time of his first sight to be 10:08.
He measured the altitude of the sun above the horizon and, after correcting his sextant for index error,
Dip, and the main correction (1/2 diameter, parallax, & refraction), he found Ho = 38º 40'.
From a noon sight, he determined his latitude to be approximately 15º 00.0' N.
Later-on that day, he took another sight on the sun, at 16:08 UTC. He found Ho = 54º 40'.
a) What are the coordinates of the points on earth over which the sun was when he took the sights
(GP of the sun) in the morning and in the afternoon?
Morning sun Lat. (Dec): ________________ Morning sun Long. (GHA): _____________
Afternoon sun Lat. (Dec): _______________ Afternoon sun Long. (GHA): ____________
b) What are the radii of his two circles of position?
AM sight PM sight
90º 89º 60' 89º 60'
º ' º '
Ho

º ' º '
ZD

NM for the degrees of angle
NM for the minutes of angle
Total radius
c) Where is he?
Use the attached world map, with its scale in NM valid near the tropics.
2. Cook’s sextant corrections

On June 22, Cook’s morning sight was:
º '
Hs
Body: Sun LL .
Sextant Alt: Hs = 40° 50.2' Index error.
“On the arc”: – '
“off the arc”: + .
Hs corrected for º '
Observed altitude Ho after all corrections? index error .
'
Ht of the eye: DIP –
.
º '
Apparent altitude Ha
.
Main correction,
given the month and Ha: '
LL + UL – .
º '
Observed altitude Ho
.
3. Estimate the sun’s GP

Over which point on earth would you guess that the sun might be on any October 11 at 09:20 UTC,
assuming the sun crosses the meridian of Greenwich at 12:00 on that day?
Latitude? _______________________
Longitude?______________________
Use a world map to find the name of the nearest island, known for its spices and its sultan with 100 wives.
4. Interpolation of GHA
What was the GHA of the sun on April 21, 2003 at 14:25:48 UTC?
GHA for hours º '

only .
Increment of GHA º '
for minutes and sec + .
º '
Total GHA
.
5. Interpolation of Dec
What was the Dec of the sun on Oct. 28, 2003 at 16:44:52 UTC
Dec for hours only º '

(N or S) .
(d + or –
(d = '/ h)
in ’/ h )
Increment of Dec
for min .
º '
Total Dec
.
6. Estimation of position
After three weeks at sea in your trusty life raft somewhere on the North Atlantic at a latitude
between 30º and 35º N, you take a sight on the sun at a time when you think it is highest above the
horizon (top of the curve). Your wrist watch, on UTC, reads July 19, 2003 at 16:32. You remember
reading that, on that day, the sun crossed the meridian of Greenwich at 12:12. You measure Ho
= 78º. Any hope?
Sun crossing of boat meridian : 90º

Ho º
Sun crossing of Greenwich meridian :
ZD = 90º – Ho º
Duration of sun travel :
Dec (estimated) º
Longitude º
Lat. = Dec + ZD º
7. Local Hour Angle (LHA)
GHA 138° 49.3' 29° 33.8' 215° 47.6'

AM or PM
(boat time)
GHA (add 360° if º ' º ' º '
required) . . .
+ longitude E º ' º ' º '
– longitude W . . .
LHA = Total
(subtract 360° if º ' º ' º '
required) . . .
8. Review Exercise
Celestial body: Sun, LL,
DR position: 40º 45.0' N; 019º 01.0' W
Time of sight: 15:19:04 (UTC)
Chrono error: 1 min 20s (slow)
Measured sextant altitude Hs: 45º 37.1'
Index error: 4' on the arc
Corrected UTC time?

Hs corrected for index error?
Ha, after correction for Dip?
Observed Ho, after main correction?
Exact Dec of the sun at the time of the sight?
Exact GHA of the sun at the time of the sight?
Local Hour Angle?
Use the form attached.
Calculation of the Local Hour Angle

GREENWICH DATE:___________________; LOG:__________; COURSE:___________
DR LAT N º '
1
S .
DR LONG E º '
2
W .
Time of sight (UTC )
3 CHRONOMETER h min s
CRONO. SLOW +
4
5 UTC TIME h min s
Sun altitude (Almanac, Altitude Correction Table)

Sun’s Declination (Almanac, Altitude Correction Table)
º '
6 SEXTANT ALT Hs . '
20 DECLINATION of sun N º
Off the arc + ' For that day, and hours in S .
7
INDEX CORRECTION On the arc – . 21 CORR. to DEC + '
º ' for minutes in 5; d (+ / – ) – .
8 CORRECTED Hs . '
22 DEC CORRECTED N º
' 20 +/– 21 S .
9 HT OF EYE ( ) DIP – .
º '
10 APPARENT ALT. Ha .
MAIN CORRECTION for Ha UL – '
11
SUN: Summer or Winter, LL or UL LL + .
º '
12 OBSERVED ALT. Ho .
Sun’s GHA (Almanac, Daily pages); LHA
GHA of sun
for that day, and for hours in 5
13
Record "Dec" in 20, º '
and increment "d" in 21 .
INCREMENT in GHA for º '
14
min & s of sight; Inc. & Corr. table + .
GHA TOTAL º '
15
13 +14 .
+ 3 6 0° 0 0 . 0'
Add 360° if W longitude > GHA to º '
16
allow subtraction in 18 .
DR LONG from 2 E+ º '
17
W– .
LOCAL HOUR ANGLE º '
18
15 or 16 +/– 17 .
Minus 360 º if required – 3 6 0° 0 0 . 0'
º '
19 LHA
.
9. Estimated longitude, and calculated latitude, by noon sight

A graph is often used to determine the maximum sun altitude over the horizon (Ho max, crossing
of the boat meridian), and the (approximate) time of meridian crossing. Use the attached graph to
estimate Ho max on Feb. 01, 2003, as well as the time when the sun crossed the boat meridian. The
sun Declination will need to be calculated for the exact time of sight.
9A. Estimation of longitude

Longitude = [time for the sun to travel from the Greenwich meridian to the boat meridian] x 15º/h.
Multiply the hours of travel of the sun by 15º/h.

Multiply the minutes of travel of the sun by (15º/60)ºh.
Or use the Almanac (Appendix 2).
1. E
stimate the UTC time when the sun crossed the boat meridian, i.e. when the sun reached Ho
max (use the attached graph). For increased precision, draw a horizontal line (constant altitude) and
take the middle of the segment between the two points of the intersection with the curve.
Time when the sun crossed the boat meridian: ____ h____min UTC.
2. Note the time when the sun crossed the Greenwich meridian (Almanac, 01 Feb 2003)
____h____min UTC
3. Calculate the total time of travel of the sun between the meridians of Greenwich and of the boat.
4. From this time of travel at 15˚/h, determine the longitude. Use the Almanac (“Increments and
Corrections”) to determine the arc corresponding to the minutes and seconds of travel.
Boat-meridian time (UTC)

h min
Greenwich meridian time
(UTC) – h min
Sun travel time (difference)

h min
Time for sun travel from

Greenwich to the boat h min
° of longitude º
for the hours only 00.0 '
° and ' of longitude for the º '
minutes and seconds of time .
º '
Total = longitude
.
Home Exercise 9
Noon sight, 01 Feb 2015 Ho
Altitude
(degrees)
27º 00.0’
26º 30.0’
• • • • •
•
• •
26º 00.0’
•
• 25º 30.0’
www.CelestialNavigationBook.com
•
• 25º 00.0’
24º 30.0’
19:00 :10 :20 :30 :40 :50 20:00 :10 :20 :30 :40 :50 21:00 :10 :20 :30 :40 :50 22:00
Time of sights (UTC)
63
9B. Calculation of latitude
1. Estimate the maximum height of the sun above the horizon (Ho max) from the graph
Ho max: ______º______. 0'
2. Calculate the Declination of the sun at the time of the sight from the Almanac (01 Feb 2003).
DECLINATION of sun
For Feb. 01, for the UTC time of
13
the sight (hours only) N º '
S .
d (+ / – ) ; CORR. to DEC + '
14
for the minutes of the time of sight – .
15
S .
3. Calculate the boat latitude from this noon sight.
Approximate
50° N
boat latitude (DR)
Sun’s Declination from Almanac: º '
Dec .
90° = 8 9 ° 6 0 . 0 '
Measured highest sun altitude Ho
º '
(at noon, boat-meridian time) .
Zenith Distance ZD = 90° – Ho º '

.
Boat latitude = “Dec + ZD” or
º '
“Dec – ZD” or “ZD – Dec” .
66
Home Session 2
Home Exercises 10 and 11

following Session 4 on the
Sight Reduction Tables
67
Home Exercises 10 and 11 following Session 4
10 & 11. S
ight Reduction Tables: Assumed Lat. & Long.; calculation of Zn from Z;
calculation of Hc by interpolation; calculation of the intercept; plotting.
From the Sight Reduction Tables Pub. No 249, we can determine the bearing of the sun (sun’s azimuth
“Zn”) and calculated altitude “Hc”. By comparing Hc with our observed altitude Ho, we can calculate
by how much the assumed arc of circle of position should be moved.
Sight No: Home Exercise 10 Home Exercise 11

DR latitude 39° 18.3' N 38° 44.8' S
DR longitude 35° 33.5' E 178° 39.4' W
Sun’s GHA 355° 27.8' 133° 41.3'
Sun’s Dec (corrected) 13° 26.3' S 08° 12.3' N
Observed altitude Ho 30° 17.6' 27° 10.8'
Find the Local Hour Angle (LHA); the coordinates of the assumed position, the computed altitude Hc;
the azimuth angle Z; the bearing (azimuth) of the sun’s Zn; and the intercept (“Towards” or “Away
from” the sun’s GP).
Use the work forms attached, with a blank globe, and the pre-calibrated blank Mercator charts.
Home Exercise 10A
DR LAT N º ' Sun’s GHA (Almanac, Daily pages); LHA

1
S .
DR LONG E º ' º '
2 15 Sun’s GHA
W . .
+ 3 6 0° 00.0
16 + 360° if required to allow º '
16
subtraction in 18 .
17 [ ' in 16] if long W W– '
º
[60' – ' in 16] if long E E+ .
LOCAL HOUR ANGLE º
18
16 + / – 17 00.0'
Subtract 360° if LHA > 360° – 3 6 0° 0 0.0'
19 Copy LHA (18 or 19) to 23 0 0.0'

23
360° if LHA > 360°) 00.0'
ASSUMED LAT N º
24
from DR in 1, rounded off S 00.0'
N º '
25
DEC CORRECTED S .
COMPUTED ALT Hc
for 23, 24 & 25; same or
26
contrary, for DEC ° only. º '
Note d ( + / – ) in 27, & Z in 31 .0
d (+ / – ')
28
in 25 .0
N. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = Z º '
29 OBS. ALT Ho .
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 360 – Z
INTERCEPT Ho > Hc: T
S. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = 180 – Z 30
Ho < Hc: A T/A .
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 180 + Z
360º 180º
32 Zn º Zn º
Home Exercise 11A
DR LAT N º ' Sun’s GHA (Almanac, Daily pages); LHA

1
S .
DR LONG E º ' º '
2 15 Sun’s GHA
W . .
+ 3 6 0° 00.0
16 + 360° if required to allow º '
16
subtraction in 18 .
17 [ ' in 16] if long W W– '
º
[60' – ' in 16] if long E E+ .
LOCAL HOUR ANGLE º
18
16 + / – 17 00.0'
Subtract 360° if LHA > 360° – 3 6 0° 0 0.0'
19 Copy LHA (18 or 19) to 23 00.0'

23
360° if LHA > 360°) 00.0'
ASSUMED LAT N º
24
from DR in 1, rounded off S 00.0'
25
S .
COMPUTED ALT Hc
for 22, 23 & 24; same or
26
contrary, for DEC ° only. º '
Note d ( + / – ) in 27, & Z in 31 .0
d( +/– ')
28
in 25 .0
º '
29 OBS. ALT Ho .
N. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = Z INTERCEPT Ho > Hc: T
30
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 360 – Z Ho < Hc: A T/A .
S. Lat.: { LHA > 180°, …………Zn = 180 – Z
{ LHA < 180°, …………Zn = 180 + Z 360º 180º
32 Zn º Zn º
ANSWERS
ANSWERS
to the
CLASS AND HOME EXERCISES
Class Exercise Answers 1-58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Home Exercise Answers 1-11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
75
Exercise Answers 1-58
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19A.
19B.
Plotting of Sight #19
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
26A. Calculations
26B. Plotting
Exercise 26
27.
27A. Calculations
27B. Plotting
Exercises 26, 27
28.
28A. Calculations
28B. Plotting
Exercises 26, 27, 28
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
36A. Calculations
Sight 36B. Plotting
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57. & 58
Home Exercise Answers 1 - 11
113
Home Exercise Answers 1-11
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
9A. Estimation of Longitude.
9A. Plotting
9B. Calculation of Latitude
10.
10A. Calculations
10B. Plotting Plotting of sight 10
11.
11A. Calculations
11B. Plotting Plotting of sight 11
Appendix 1
Sight Reduction Work Forms
A1-1 www.CelestialNavigationBook.com 129

130 www.CelestialNavigationBook.com A1-2






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CELESTIAL NAVIGATION EXERCISES

for Class and Home Study

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Session 1: Sextant Corrections (Exercises 1-3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 1

Session 4: Sight Reduction Tables (16-19). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 13

Session 5: Review Exercises on the Sun; Plotting (20-28) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 21

Session 6: Twilight; Moon (29-33). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 29

Session 7: Planets; Stars; Selected Stars; Polaris (34-40) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 33

Session 8: Review Exercises, entire course (41-58). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 41

Additional Home Exercises:

Home Exercises 1-9 following Session 3: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 55

Home Exercises 10 and 11 following Session 4:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 67

Exercise Answers 1-58. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 75

Home Exercise Answers 1-11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 113

Appendix 1: Sight Reduction Work Forms

1. Sextant corrections, index error

Sextant altitude Hs 27° 45.0' 59° 13.0' 07° 23.7

Index error 21.0' Off 28.0' On 36.4' Off

2. Sextant corrections, correction for Dip

' ' '

3. Sextant corrections, main correction

Body observed Sun, UL Sun, LL Sun, UL

Time of year October June March

Apparent altitude Ha 20° 09.1' 49° 53.9' 17° 06.1'

Main correction, for

Measures of time; Conversions arcs time;

4. Sextant corrections, all corrections combined

Body observed Sun, LL Sun, UL Sun, LL

Time of year April July November

Sextant altitude Hs 37° 59.1' 49° 03.0' 17° 56.6'

Index error 2.7' Off 8.1' On 4.5' Off

Height of eye 2.9 m 3.3 m 9.0 feet

Apparent altitude Ha ° ' ° ' ° '

Observed altitude Ho ° ' ° ' ° '

5. Corrections to the chronometer

Chronometer 2: 22:09:19; 12 min 39 s fast

Chronometer 3: 18:53:19; 08 min 47 s slow

6. Almanac table “Conversion of Arcs to Times”, to convert arcs

Boat longitude 123° 08.25' W 068° 28.75' W 041° 37.50' E

7. Almanac pages “Increments and Corrections”, to convert times to arcs

UTC time of sun’s

Time of sun’s crossing of the Greenwich

9. Meridian and zone times; determination of longitude

3. On what meridian is the “zone time” based for the province?______________________________________________

Day and time April 19 June 30 Oct 29

Time (UTC) 14:00:00 05:00:00 17:00:00

GHA ° ' ° ' ° '

Dec ° ' ° ' ° '

Interpolation of GHA and Dec for Exact Times of Sights;

Day and time Feb 02 July 01 Oct 29

° ' ° ' ° '

(d + or – in '/ h) (d = '/ h) (d = '/ h) (d = '/ h)

Increment of Dec ' ' '

12. Local Hour Angle

If boat longitude is West, LHA = GHA – boat longitude;

GHA 158° 52.4' 19° 23.8' 205° 42.6'

Boat longitude 123° 49.3' W 98° 32.9' W 27° 59.5' E

GHA (add 360° if ° ' ° ' ° '

13. Latitude by noon sights

Approximate boat latitude 50° N 28° N 10° S

14. Approximate latitude by Polaris

Latitude of observer ° ' ° ' ° '

UTC time of sun’s crossing

6. Almanac table “Conversion of Arcs to Times”, to convert arcs

7. Almanac pages “Increments and Corrections”, to convert times to arcs

1. Estimate the approximate GHA of the sun. ________________________________________________________