Can You Tell Me Where I Am By Using These Two Sextant Readings? -- A Great Math Exercise

Can you calculate my latitude and longitude? I took two sun shot measurements using a sextant through an artificial horizon --one shot in the morning and one shot in the afternoon with a time signal.

Wolfram MathWorld Spherical Trigonometry http://mathworld.wolfram.com/SphericalTrigonometry.html


Science Math Celestial Navigation Artificial Horizon latitude longitude sextant location sun spherical trigonomentry

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Science
• Math
• Celestial
• Navigation
• Artificial
• Horizon
• latitude
• longitude
• sextant
• location
• sun
• spherical
• trigonomentry
• WWV

[sm2iuf]

This challenge was so interesting that I now have bought a second hand and unused Freiberger drum sextant. I also orderd a Davis artificial horizon, same as you have.

[iviewthetube]

@sm2iuf

So happy to hear.  I hope you come up with a challenge for me. If you do could you please email me?

[sm2iuf]

@iviewthetube I certainly will email you but be patient. Celestair is just processing my order for the artificial horizon and I think I need some excercise before I get as good mesurement as you have. They are remarkably good for a plastic sextant.

[iviewthetube]

@sm2iuf

Thanks for the update. I am looking forward to hearing how it goes.

[iviewthetube]

Congratulations to sm2iuf who submitted the correct answer using Henning Umlands Javascripts as an almanac.

[iviewthetube]

n205mk submitted an answer which was about 5 miles SSW.

[iviewthetube]

@sm2iuf

Now you are about 800 miles south.

[sm2iuf]

@iviewthetube Thanks for the time info. I now end up just outside the US west coast in the Pacific Ocean at 35 N 56.6' and 122 N 45.6' this must also be in error. I have checked and double checked and noticed that the first shot is upper limb and second shot is lower limb. However I think I am much closer now.

I will work some more on this problem to find errors in my calculations. I like this kind of problems. Please make some more sun shots when you are visiting relatives in other places.

[iviewthetube]

@sm2iuf

That is not correct. You are about 1400 miles east.

Regarding the time: The afternoon shot is the next day UTC (Feb. 21, 2010). Try 00 hrs., 16 min., 02 seconds.

[sm2iuf]

@iviewthetube I can't figure out the correct UTC hour for the afternoon shot. Minutes and seconds is clear. The audio from WWV is strange when he says the hour is 2 .....

By guessing the hour to 21, I get the position 48 N 59.6' and 92 W 16.6 ' This is in a lake in Canada but you are obviously on dry land.