Question 1

Three stars for a fix are chosen with azimuths…

Accepted Answer

Spread roughly 60° or more apart — position lines crossing at broad angles — Position lines crossing at shallow angles turn each arc-minute of sight error into miles of position error. Spread the azimuths and the triangle stays small.

Question 2

A practised navigator’s celestial day runs…

Accepted Answer

Dawn stars, morning sun line, noon latitude, afternoon sun line, dusk stars — each advanced to the next — The day’s work: every observation is run forward along the track and crossed with the next, so the position is continuously renewed, not found once.

The expert’s day

This lesson is part of a paid course