On 13 September your 1830 ZT DR position was LAT 23°03'S, LONG 105°16'E, when you observed a faint unidentifiable star through a hole in the clouds. The star bore 148.0°T at a sextant altitude (hs) of 32°24.3'. The chronometer read 11h 24m 39s and is 05m 08s slow. The index error is 1.0' off the arc, and the height of eye is 52 feet. What star did you observe?

Question

Accepted Answer

Option D: Alpha Tucanae. Apply index error, dip, and refraction to hs to determine Ho. Calculate GMT and LHA. Using sight reduction tables, solve for the intercept and azimuth. The resulting celestial coordinates and bearing match Alpha Tucanae, confirming the identification based on the provided DR position and time of observation.