Dummies Guide To Astro
Dummies Guide To Astro
Dummies Guide To Astro
The idea of this booklet is to give you the nuts and bolts in the process of gaining a position on your chart through celestial navigation without a deep understanding of the underlying theory. It will be useful for those of you who just want to be able to do it, and also as an aid memoir to those of you who havent done it for a while. To keep things simple I have only included the process of the sun, which is the main celestial object used by most Astro-Navigators, however, the principal is similar for all the other bodies. I am grateful for any input, so please let me know of anything you might like to see in these notes, and of course any errors that you may find! Best Regards Alan Denham Email: [email protected] Falmouth 2011
DETAIL
What do I need?
Sextant Watch (Digital preferable) Nautical Almanac Sight Reduction Tables (Air Tables) 90-1000 10 20 - 35 (Annual publication) 25 each (2 volumes Lat 0-38 & 38-89, lasts forever)
Accuracy
Good metal Sextant Plastic Sextant (EBCO etc ) 3nm 10 nm New 400 / Second Hand 200 New 90
Relationships
To understand Astro, you need to appreciate the relationship between angles and distance, as well as angles and time. Angles and distance A circle has 360 Each degree is made up of 60 1 = 1nm Angles and time 360 = 24 hours 15 = 1 hour 1 = 4 minutes 1 = 4 seconds
Time Zones
We live by the sun. We like to get up when the sun rises, have lunch when the sun is overhead and go to bed when the sun sets. Because the sun takes 24hours to go around the earth, each country needs to work in a different time zone to achieve this. When we sail across an ocean, we tend to sail West-East or East-West. As we sail through these time zones, we need to keep adjusting out Ships clock to keep our body clocks in tune. The ships clock is normally the nice brass one next to the barometer on the bulkhead. This is the time we live by. This is obviously different from out digital watch that shows UT and is used for our navigation. As we sail westwards, every time we cross 15 we cross a time zone. When this happens, we put our clock back one hour and make a note in our logbook that we have moved into Zone +1, +2, +3 etc. as we travel on our journey. Going eastwards we do the opposite, the clock goes forward 1 hour and we note in our logbook that we have moved into Zone 1, -2, -3 etc. Greenwich marks Zone 0, and this zone spans 7.5west to 7.5east. Zone +1 starts at 7.5 west and will finish at 22.5 Zone +2 starts at 22.5 and will finish at 37.5 etc
Sextant Corrections
Index Error Add or subtract any index error found when you took your sight IE on the arc (subtract), IE off the arc (add) Height of Eye (DIP) The higher you are, the further away is the horizon. Use the correction table (Altitude Correction Table) either on the loose card, or printed in the front of the Nautical Almanac. This figure is always subtracted. Typically, your height of eye is around 2m.
Altitude Correction There are other errors to contend with, namely refraction, the diameter of the sun and whether you have used the upper limb or lower limb. These corrections are also found in the (Altitude Correction Table) either on the loose card, or printed in the front of the Nautical Almanac.
Dec S9 41.8
Minutes and Seconds Minutes and seconds are at the back of the NAUTICAL ALMANAC. Each page shows 2 columns for 2 minutes, each minute is broken down into 60 seconds. Look up in the first column called SUN PLANETS. This figure is always added to the hours figure.
d correction The d correction is required as the change in the declination of the sun is irregular. Note down the d value found at the bottom of the daily pages. d can be either positive or negative. To determine, if the declination is getting larger, d is positive, if decreasing d is negative.
Look at the minutes and seconds page again. Find the relevant minute and note the 3 columns to the right called v or d corn. Look up the value of d (ignore seconds) and extract the correction. It takes the same sign as d. Apply the correction to the declination. Example d = 0.5 Correction 0.2
LHA
325 12.4 7 12.4W 318 00.0 225 45.7 15 14.3E 241 00.0
Example 2 GHA EP Longitude 15 22.1E change EP to Because we are east we add LHA
and extract; HC d Z Calculated Sextant angle correction for minutes of declination (note the sign; + or -) zenith
Plotting
Plotting Sheets Though you can plot straight onto your working chart, it is more normal to use a PLOTTING SHEET. This is a blank chart with a variety of scales. They are easily purchased from a Hydrographic Agent such as Kelvin Hughes. PLOTTING SHEETS are produced for a range of latitudes, so make sure you have the correct ones for your journey. Putting on the scale Select the latitude you are at, at the bottom of the chart, draw in the whole degrees relevant to your current position. Plotting CP (Chosen Position) Plot your CP onto the chart. Remember this is not you EP, but your Latitude rounded to whole degrees and your chosen longitude, the one you modified to make the LHA a whole number. The CP is marked with a square like a waypoint. Plotting Azimuth From the CP, use a plotter to draw in the Azimuth (Zn) Plotting Intercept Make a note of whether you are Towards or Away from the sun. Set your dividers to the Intercept and measure along the Azimuth in the right direction. Make a mark. Plotting Position Line From the mark above, draw a line at right angles. This is the Position Line. You are somewhere on this line. It is usual to mark the ends of this line with 2 arrows pointing in the direction of the sun. Away
CP
Intercept
Position Line
Azimuth (Zn)
Towards
Sextant Angle
Declination Latitude
Example 2
In this example we assume that we are in the Northern Hemisphere and the Sun is in the Southern Hemisphere (CONTRARY)
Sextant Angle
Declination Latitude
Sun-Run-Sun
If you can see 2 celestial bodies (or more) at the same instance in time, you can take 2 readings, reduce them and then plot them. This will give you a position. Ideally, 3 bodies or more will give you a very accurate fix, Just like doing a coastal 3 point fix with a hand bearing compass. However, many people choose to use only the sun. The sun will only give you a single position line at any one time, however, using the principal of a Running fix / Transferred Position Line, it is possible to fix your position by taking 2 observations of the sun at different times. You could choose to do a morning and then afternoon sight, however, it is the norm to make one of the sights a Meridian Passage, as this is easier to process. Once you have the 2 sights, plot them on the same plotting sheets, transferring the earlier one to the later one.
aaa 7
Your Position! Meridian Passage (Noon Position Line)
1 6
Transferred position line
Morning CP
5
Position Line moved by course steered and distance run between the 2 sights.
3
Morning Position Line
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Plot morning Chosen Position (CP) Plot Azimuth (Zn) Plot Morning Position Line Plot Noon (Mer Pas) Position Line A line of Latitude From your morning sight, mark on the course steered and distance run of the boat. Transfer your morning position line along the boats track and redraw. Where this position line crosses the Mer Pas is your position.
Deck Watch __ __ h __ __ m __ __ s Correction (+ / -) UT Hours __ __ Min/Sec __ __ m __ __ s + __ __.__ __.__ GHA __ __ __.__ __.__ __ __ ____ __. __ ( __ __ __ W / +E) True Dec GHA __ __ __.__ __.__ __ __ h __ __ m __ __ s __ __ m __ __ s Zone (+/-) __ __ = __ __ : __ __ UT Greenwich Date: ____________________ Dec N / S __ __.__ __.__ d +/- __ Correction __.__ __ __.__ __.__
Ships Clock __ __ : __ __
Date: ___________________________
*
Chosen Longitude
__ __
__ __.__ N / S
0 0.0
Longitude __ __ __
__ __.__ W / E
Sextant Angle
__ __ __ __. __
__.__
Chosen Latitude
LHA __ __ __
Same / Contrary
Declination __ __
__ __ __ __.__
Height of Eye
__ . __
__.__
Hc __ __ __ __ Correction __ __ Calculated Sextant Angle (Hc __ __ __ __. 0 True Sextant Angle (Ho) Intercept
d +/- __ __
Z __ __ __
Apparent Altitude
__ __ __ __. __
Altitude Correction
__ __ .__
True (Ho)
__ __
__ __.__
UT
Date: ___________________________
E.P.
Latitude
__ __
__ __ . __ N / S
Longitude __ __ __
__ __ . __ W / E
__ __ __ __ . __
90 00'. 0
__ __ __ __ . __ __ __ __ __ . __ = __ __ __ __ . __ __ __ __ __. __ N /S (see Rules below)
__ . __
__ __ __ __ . __
Height of Eye
__ . __m
__ . __
+/- Declination
Latitude
Apparent Altitude
__ __ __ __ . __
__ __ . __
__ __ __ __ . __
Rules Latitude GREATER than Declination (SAME Name) Latitude LESS than Declination (SAME Name) Latitude CONTRARY name to Declination