On 7 November your 0830 zone time fix gives you a position of LAT 27°36.0'N, LONG 162°19.0'W. Your vessel is on course 289°T and your speed is 19.0 knots. Local apparent noon (LAN) occurs at 1138 zone time, at which time a meridian altitude of the Sun's lower limb is observed. The observed altitude (Ho) for this sight is 45°35.0'. What is the latitude at 1200 ZT?

Question

Accepted Answer

Option C: 27°59.5'N. Calculate latitude at LAN using the meridian altitude formula: L = (90° - Ho) ± Dec. For 7 November, declination is 16°21.5'S. With Ho 45°35.0', the zenith distance is 44°25.0'N. Combining these yields 28°03.5'N at 1138 ZT. Advancing this position to 1200 ZT using course and speed results in 27°59.5'N.