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Navigation Terms and Definitions Guide

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6 views3 pages

Navigation Terms and Definitions Guide

Uploaded by

Ajay Mc
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

NAVIGATION DEFINITIONS

GENERAL
A Great Circle: A circle on the earth’s surface, the plane of which passes through the centre of the
earth.
A Small Circle: A circle on the earth’s surface, the plane of which does not pass through the centre
of the earth.
A Spherical Triangle: Is formed by the arcs of 3 intersecting Great Circles.

TERRESTRIAL
Terrestrial Poles: The two points at which the Earth’s axis of spin meets the Earth’s surface.
Equator: Is that Great Circle 90 removed from the Pole.
Meridians: The semi Great Circles passing from pole to Pole.
Prime Meridian: Meridian passing through the Old Greenwich Observatory.
Latitude: The arc of a Meridian or angle at the centre of the Earth, measured N or S from the
Equator, to the Parallel of Latitude through the place.
Co-Latitude: The arc of a Meridian or angle at the centre of the Earth measured N or S from the
Terrestrial Pole to the Parallel of Latitude through the place. (Co-Latitude = 90  Latitude.)
Parallels of Latitude: The Equator and all Small Circles parallel to it.
D’Lat: The arc of a Meridian, measured N or S, from the Parallel of Latitude through the first point
to the Parallel of Latitude through the second point.
Longitude: The minor angle at the Pole or arc of the Equator, measured E or W, from the Prime
Meridian to the Meridian through the place.
D’Long: The lesser angle at the Pole or arc of the Equator, measured E or W, from the Meridian
through the first place to the Meridian through the second place.
Nautical Mile: A unit of measurement, equal to 1' of Latitude. (Approx 1852 metres)
Departure: The distance in Nautical Miles, measured E or W, along a Parallel of Latitude, from the
Meridian through the first place to the Meridian through the second place.
Meridional Parts (MP): The number of units of the Longitude scale contained along a Meridian
between the Equator and the Parallel of Latitude concerned on a Mercator Chart.
Differences of Meridional Parts (DMP): The number of units of the Longitudinal scale contained
between two Parallels of Latitude on a Mercator Chart.
CELESTIAL
Celestial Sphere: An imaginary sphere of infinite radius, concentric with Earth on which all
heavenly bodies are considered to lie regardless of their actual distance.
Celestial Poles: The projection of the Earths' Poles from the centre of the Earth to the Celestial
Sphere.
Equinoctial or Celestial Equator: The Great Circle on the Celestial Sphere the plane of which
coincides with the plane of the Terrestrial Equator.
Celestial Meridians: The semi Great Circles extending from Celestial Pole to Celestial Pole.
Observer’s Celestial Meridian: The Meridian passing through the observer's Zenith.
Declination: The arc of a Celestial Meridian, measured N or S, from the Equinoctial to the Parallel
of Declination passing through the body.
Parallel of Declination: The Equinoctial and all Small Circles parallel to it.
Polar Distance: The arc of a Celestial Meridian contained between the elevated Pole and the Parallel
of Declination through the body. (Polar Distance = 90  Declination.)
Ecliptic: That Great Circle on the Celestial Sphere traced out by the true sun in one year. It is
inclined to the Equator at 2327'.
Equinoctial Points: The points at which the Ecliptic cuts are Equinoctial.
First Point in Aries: () The point at which the sun crosses the Equinoctial passing from S to N.

HOUR ANGLES
Local Hour Angle (LHA): The arc of the Equinoctial or angle at the Pole measured West from the
observers Meridian to the Meridian through the body.
Greenwich Hour Angle (GHA): The arc of the Equinoctial or angle at the Pole measured West from
the Greenwich Celestial Meridian to the Meridian through the body.
Sidereal Hour Angle (SHA): The arc of the Equinoctial or angle at the Pole measured West from
the first point in Aries to the meridian through the body.
Geographical Position: The point on the Earth’s surface that has the body in question in its Zenith.

BEARING
True Azimuth: The angle at the Zenith, measured E or W, from the observer’s meridian to the body.
(It is always Z in the PZX triangle and never exceeds 180.)
True Bearing: The angle at the Zenith measured clockwise from the North to the body.
Amplitude: Is angle at the Zenith, measured N or S from East (090°T) or West (270°T) to the body.
TIME
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): Time based on the Mean Sun being on the Greenwich Meridian at
1200hrs
Standard Time: Is the time basis adopted by a particular country. (Its difference on GMT being
given in the Nautical Almanac.)
Local Time: The time actually being kept by a country. (Based on the country’s Standard Time and
any alteration due to Summer Time.)
Zone Time: Is the time normally kept by ships at sea, that differs from GMT by an integral number
of hours. The difference is found by converting Longitude into time and taking it to the nearest
whole hour.

ALTITUDE
Zenith: The point on the Celestial Sphere projected from the centre of the Earth through the
observer.
Rational Horizon: The Great Circle on the Celestial Sphere 90 removed from the Zenith.
Visible Horizon: The Small Circle on the Earth that bounds an observers view at sea.
Sensible Horizon: The Small Circle on the Celestial Sphere the centre of which is the observers eye
and the plane of which is parallel with the plane of Rational Horizon.
Sextant Altitude: The angle in the vertical plane from the Visible Horizon to a body as read from
the sextant.
Observed Altitude: The angle at the observer measured in the vertical plane between the limb of the
body and the visible horizon. i.e. the sextant altitude corrected for instrumental error.
Dip: Is the angle at the observer’s eye contained between the Visible and Sensible Horizons.
Apparent Altitude: The angle at the observer measured in the vertical plane between the limb of the
body and the Sensible Horizon.
Semi-Diameter: The angle at the centre of the Earth subtended by the radius of a body.
True Altitude: The arc of a Vertical Circle measured from the Rational Horizon to the Parallel of
Altitude passing through the centre of the body.
True Zenith Distance: Is the arc of a Vertical Circle measured from the centre of the body to the
observer’s Zenith, thus: TZD = 90 - True Altitude.

Common questions

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The Dip is the angle between the Visible Horizon as seen by the observer and the Sensible Horizon, accounting for the observer's elevation above sea level . It is crucial in accurately determining the apparent horizon as measured by the sextant, which is then corrected for instrumental errors and this observed altitude is used to find the True Altitude .

The Ecliptic is the apparent path traced by the Sun on the Celestial Sphere over the course of a year, inclined at about 23°27' to the Celestial Equator . It is significant in celestial navigation as it affects the observed positions of celestial bodies, particularly during equinoxes and solstices, when its intersection with the Celestial Equator marks key seasonal changes and affects the height of the Sun at noon .

Terrestrial Poles are the two points where Earth's axis of spin intersects the Earth's surface, serving as reference points for defining latitude . Understanding their location is important for navigation as latitude is measured from the Equator, a Great Circle equidistant from both poles, which helps determine a location’s north-south position on Earth .

Latitude is the angular measurement north or south of the Equator, while Co-Latitude is the complimentary angle from the pole to the parallel of latitude, expressed as 90° minus the Latitude . These concepts are integral in navigation for determining a precise location's position on Earth, aiding in plotting courses and navigational strategies based on precise global positioning .

True Altitude is the arc of a Vertical Circle from the Rational Horizon to the Parallel of Altitude through the celestial body's center . It is calculated using observed altitude corrected for dip and other errors. In practical navigation, it is used to find the precise position of a celestial body above the horizon, critical in techniques like celestial fixing where accurate angle measurements are necessary for determining a ship's position .

The Celestial Sphere is an imaginary sphere of infinite radius concentric with Earth, where celestial bodies are projected, aiding navigation by providing a framework to locate stars and other astronomical objects . The Celestial Equator, a Great Circle within this sphere, coincides with the Terrestrial Equator and helps in determining declination, a critical part of celestial navigation used to calculate an observer's latitude .

Meridional Parts represent the number of longitudinal scale units along a Meridian between the Equator and a specific Parallel of Latitude on a Mercator Chart . This relationship helps in accurately representing curved meridians as straight lines on the chart, facilitating the process of drawing a line of position based on latitude and longitude, crucial for precise navigational plotting .

The Great Circle is significant in navigation as it is the shortest path between two points on the Earth's surface because it lies on a plane passing through the Earth's center . In contrast, a Small Circle does not pass through the Earth's center and includes all circles on Earth's surface not forming a Great Circle . This distinction is crucial for navigators when planning routes as Great Circles provide the most efficient path.

Polar Distance is the arc of a Celestial Meridian contained between the elevated Celestial Pole and the Parallel of Declination through a celestial body, calculated as 90° plus or minus the Declination . Understanding this concept is vital for celestial navigation as it assists in the determination of the observer's position relative to the celestial body, effectively informing course adjustments and precise positioning using celestial sightings .

Hour Angles measure the angle or arc westward from a reference meridian to the meridian passing through a celestial body, facilitating the determination of local celestial time . They are used to convert the celestial body positions into time formats essential for navigation; for instance, the Local Hour Angle helps in calculating the current local time of a celestial event at a given location .

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