On 22 May at 0440 ZT, your vessel's DR position is LAT 23°24' N, LONG 110°24' W. At approximately this time, you obtain a sextant altitude (hs) of Polaris reading 23°40.9' with an index error of 1.6' on the arc. Your chronometer reads 11h 42m 14s, and is 2m 36s fast. What is your latitude by Polaris, given a height of eye of 24 feet?

Correct Answer: Option A — 23°31.2'N

Polaris latitude requires correcting the sextant altitude for index error, dip, and refraction to obtain Ho, then applying the Polaris correction (a0, a1, a2) from the Nautical Almanac based on LHA Aries. Applying these corrections to the observed 23°40.9' altitude yields a corrected latitude of 23°31.2'N.