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    Chapter 1

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    Celestial navigation allows one to determine their position on Earth by measuring the altitudes of celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars. An observer's position is located at the intersection of circles of equal altitude, which represent all positions with the same measured altitude for a given body. With measurements of two bodies, there are typically two possible positions, but measuring a third body removes this ambiguity and isolates a single point of intersection as the observer's location.

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    Chapter 1

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    wexler
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    Celestial navigation allows one to determine their position on Earth by measuring the altitudes of celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars. An observer's position is located at the intersection of circles of equal altitude, which represent all positions with the same measured altitude for a given body. With measurements of two bodies, there are typically two possible positions, but measuring a third body removes this ambiguity and isolates a single point of intersection as the observer's location.

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    Celestial navigation allows one to determine their position on Earth by measuring the altitudes of celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars. An observer's position is located at the intersection of circles of equal altitude, which represent all positions with the same measured altitude for a given body. With measurements of two bodies, there are typically two possible positions, but measuring a third body removes this ambiguity and isolates a single point of intersection as the observer's location.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    227 views3 pages

    Chapter 1

    Uploaded by

    wexler
    Celestial navigation allows one to determine their position on Earth by measuring the altitudes of celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars. An observer's position is located at the intersection of circles of equal altitude, which represent all positions with the same measured altitude for a given body. With measurements of two bodies, there are typically two possible positions, but measuring a third body removes this ambiguity and isolates a single point of intersection as the observer's location.

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    Chapter 1

    Introduction
    Celestial navigation is the art of finding one's current geographic position by means of astronomical observations, particularly by measuring altitudes of celestial bodies sun, moon, planets, or stars. The apparent position of a body in the sky is defined by the horizon system of coordinates (Fig. 1-1). The altitude, H, is the vertical angle between the line of sight to the body and the horizontal plane. The zenith distance, z, is the corresponding angular distance between the body and the zenith an imaginary point vertically overhead. H and z are complementary angles (H + z = 90). The azimuth, AzN, is the horizontal direction of the body with respect to the geographic (true) north point on the horizon, measured clockwise from 0 through 360.

    Three imaginary (invisible) horizontal planes which are parallel to each other are relevant to celestial navigation (Fig. 12):

    The sensible horizon is the horizontal plane passing through the observer's eye. The geoidal horizon is the horizontal plane tangent to the earth at the observer's position. The celestial horizon is the horizontal plane passing through the center of the earth. Sensible and geoidal horizon coincide if the observer's eye is at ground level. Since both horizons are usually very close to each other, they can be considered as identical under practical conditions. None of the above horizontal planes coincides with the visible horizon, the line where the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet. Calculations of celestial navigation are always based upon the altitude with respect to the celestial horizon. Since this altitude is not accessible through direct measurement, it has to be derived from the altitude with respect to the visible or sensible horizon (altitude corrections, chapter 2).

    Which of both altitudes is obtained, depends on the instrument used. For example, a marine sextant measures the altitude with reference to the visible horizon, whereas instruments with a built-in artificial horizon measure the altitude referring to the sensible horizon (chapter 2). Altitude and zenith distance of a celestial body depend on the distance between a terrestrial observer and the geographic position of the body, GP. GP is the point where a straight line from the body to the center of the earth, C, intersects the earth's surface (Fig. 1-3).

    A body appears in the zenith (z = 0, H = 90) when GP is identical with the observer's position. A terrestrial observer moving away from GP will observe that the altitude of the body decreases as his distance from GP increases. The body is on the celestial horizon (H = 0, z = 90) when the observer is one quarter of the circumference of the earth away from GP. For a given altitude of a body, there is an infinite number of positions having the same distance from GP and forming a circle on the earth's surface whose center is on the line CGP, below the earth's surface. Such a circle is called a circle of equal altitude. An observer traveling along a circle of equal altitude will measure a constant altitude and zenith distance of the respective body, no matter where on the circle he is. The radius of the circle, r, measured along the surface of the earth, is directly proportional to the observed zenith distance, z (Fig 1-4).

    r [nm] = 60 z []

    or

    r [km] =

    Perimeter of Earth [km] z[] 360

    One nautical mile (1 nm = 1.852 km) is the great circle distance of one minute of arc (the definition of a great circle is given in chapter 3). The mean perimeter of the earth is 40031.6 km. Note that light rays coming from distant objects (stars) are virtually parallel to each other when reaching the earth.

    Therefore, the altitude with respect to the geoidal (sensible) horizon equals the altitude with respect to the celestial horizon. In contrast, light rays coming from the relatively close bodies of the solar system are diverging. This results in a measurable difference between both altitudes. The effect is greatest when observing the moon, the body closest to the earth (parallax, see chapter 2, Fig. 2-4). The azimuth of a body depends on the observer's position on the circle of equal altitude and can assume any value between 0 and 360. Whenever you measure the altitude or zenith distance of a celestial body, you have already gained partial information about your own geographic position because you know you are standing somewhere on a circle of equal altitude with the radius r and the center GP, the geographic position of the body. Of course, the information available so far is still incomplete because you could be anywhere on the circle of equal altitude which is a typical example of a line of position (see chapter 4). Let us go one step further now. You are watching two bodies instead of one. Then you are standing on the two corresponding circles of equal altitude or lines of position intersecting each other at two points on the earth's surface, as is the case when two circles overlap. Logically, one of those two points of intersection must be your own position (Fig. 1-5a).

    In principle, it is not possible to know which of the two points of intersection Pos.1 or Pos.2 is identical with your actual position unless you have additional information, e.g., a fair estimate of where you are, or the compass bearing of at least one of the bodies. Solving the problem of ambiguity can also be achieved by observation of a third body because there is only one point where all three circles of equal altitude intersect (Fig. 1-5b). Circles of equal altitude can be plotted on a map if their radii are small enough. This usually requires observed altitudes of almost 90. The method is rarely used since such altitudes are not easy to measure and the risk of ambiguity is higher than normal. In most cases, circles of equal altitude have diameters of several thousand nautical miles and can not be plotted directly on maps with appropriate scale, apart from geometric distortion due to map projection. There are, however, elegant ways of plotting only the relevant parts of the circles (those in the vicinity of the observer's assumed position), as will be shown in chapter 4 and 7.

    In summary, determination of your position includes three basic steps: 1. Choose two or more celestial bodies and measure their altitudes or zenith distances. 2. Find the geographic position of each body at the time of its observation. 3. Derive your position from the above data.

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