On 2 October your 1845 DR position was LAT 28°09.2'S, LONG 167°48.1'E. You observe a faint star through a hole in the clouds at a sextant altitude (hs) of 20°45.6' T, bearing 201.5°T. The index error is 1.3' off the arc, and the height of eye is 42 feet. The chronometer reads 07h 46m 19s and is 00m 51s fast. What star did you observe?

Question

On 2 October your 1845 DR position was LAT 28&deg;09.2'S, LONG 167&deg;48.1'E. You observe a faint star through a hole in the clouds at a sextant altitude (hs) of 20&deg;45.6' T, bearing 201.5&deg;T. The index error is 1.3' off the arc, and the height of eye is 42 feet. The chronometer reads 07h 46m 19s and is 00m 51s fast. What star did you observe?

Accepted Answer

Option C: Alpha Muscae. Apply corrections to the sextant altitude to find Ho. Determine UTC, GHA Aries, and SHA. Calculate LHA and Declination. The resulting celestial coordinates match Alpha Muscae, consistent with the identification process outlined in Bowditch for stars observed through limited visibility or cloud breaks during celestial navigation.