On 16 July at 2000 zone time, you take a sextant observation of Polaris. Your vessel's DR position is LAT 27°22.0'N, LONG 148°35.0'W, and your sextant reads 26°57.5'. Your chronometer reads 05h 59m 16s, and your chronometer error is 01m 28s slow. Your height of eye is 48 feet, and the index error for your sextant is 1.3' off the arc. What is the latitude of your vessel from your observation of Polaris?

Question

On 16 July at 2000 zone time, you take a sextant observation of Polaris. Your vessel's DR position is LAT 27&deg;22.0'N, LONG 148&deg;35.0'W, and your sextant reads 26&deg;57.5'. Your chronometer reads 05h 59m 16s, and your chronometer error is 01m 28s slow. Your height of eye is 48 feet, and the index error for your sextant is 1.3' off the arc. What is the latitude of your vessel from your observation of Polaris?

Accepted Answer

Option C: 27&deg;36.1'N. Calculate GMT from chronometer data, determine LHA of Aries, and apply Nautical Almanac Polaris correction tables (a0, a1, a2) to true altitude. Following Bowditch celestial navigation standards, incorporate index error and height of eye to yield latitude 27°36.1'N.