Ability To Use Celestial Bodies To Determine The Ships Position

Ability to Use
Celestial Bodies To
Determine The
ships Position
OBJECTIVES
• Solar System
• Celestial sphere and equinoctial system of co-
ordinates
• Relationship between; GHA, LHA and longitude
• Hour angle and time, Local and Greenwich time
• Daily motion and horizontal system of co-
ordinates
• Sextant and altitude corrections
• Time and equation of time
• Nautical Almanac
• Pole Star observations
• Position fixing
• Ability to determine errors of the magnetic and
gyro-compasses & Calculations
• Astronomical position lines and position fixing
• The intercept method
• The longitude by chronometer method
• Latitude by meridian altitude method
• Apparent motion of celestial bodies
• Earth – moon system
1.1 Solar system
• Solar system, assemblage consisting of the
Sun—an average star in the Milky Way Galaxy
—and those bodies orbiting around it: 8
(formerly 9) planets with about 170 known
planetary satellites (moons); countless
asteroids, some with their own satellites;
comets and other icy bodies; and vast reaches
of highly tenuous gas and dust known as the
interplanetary medium.
Describes the composition and
dimensions of the solar system
• Located at the centre of the solar system and
influencing the motion of all the other bodies
through its gravitational force is the Sun,
which in itself contains more than 99 percent
of the mass of the system. The planets, in
order of their distance outward from the Sun,
are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
• Four planets—Jupiter through Neptune—have
ring systems, and all but Mercury and Venus
have one or more moons. Pluto had been
officially listed among the planets since it was
discovered in 1930 orbiting beyond Neptune, but
in 1992 an icy object was discovered still farther
from the Sun than Pluto. Many other such
discoveries followed, including an object named
Eris that appears to be at least as large as Pluto.
• It became apparent that Pluto was simply one
of the larger members of this new group of
objects, collectively known as the Kuiper belt.
Accordingly, in August 2006 the
International Astronomical Union (IAU), the
organization charged by the
scientific community with classifying
astronomical objects, voted to revoke Pluto’s
planetary status and place it under a new
classification called dwarf planet.
• The solar system video
• When Earth is stated or assumed to be the
reference point:
• "Inferior planet" refers to Mercury and Venus,
which are closer to the Sun than Earth is.
• "Superior planet" refers to Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (the latter two
added later), which are farther from the Sun
than Earth is.
• The terms are sometimes used more generally;
for example, Earth is an inferior planet relative
to Mars.
• Planets do not emit their own light, but reflect
the light from the sun. Therefore they show a
steady light in the sky. Stars on the other hand
emit their own light, and twinkle in the sky. It
is believed that some of the stars have their
own solar systems. The earth’s closest
neighbor is the moon, about 240000 miles
distance from the earth. The sun’s average
distance from the earth is about 93 million
miles.
• All bodies that go round the sun have two types
of motions:
– They go round their own axis and this motion is
called “rotation”
– They also, while rotating about their own axis, go
round the sun in well defined orbits. This motion is
called “revolution”.
• The sun also rotates on its own axis in 25 days.
All other bodies are kept in their relative
positions in their respective orbits by definite
mathematical laws. All bodies exhibit a
gravitational attraction on each other.
According to Newton’s law, this attraction is
directly proportional to their masses &
inversely proportional to the square of the
distance that separates them.
KEPLER’S LAWS
OF PLANETARY MOTION
• Kepler's three laws of planetary motion can be
described as follows:
• The path of the planets about the sun is
elliptical in shape, with the center of the sun
being located at one focus. (The Law of
Ellipses)
• An imaginary line drawn from the center of
the sun to the center of the planet will sweep
out equal areas in equal intervals of time. (The
Law of Equal Areas)
KEPLER’S LAWS
OF PLANETARY MOTION
• The ratio of the squares of the periods of any
two planets is equal to the ratio of the cubes
of their average distances from the sun. (The
Law of Harmonies)
KEPLER’S LAWS
OF PLANETARY MOTION
• Kepler’s first law states that the planets move in
an elliptical orbits around the sun, with sun at one
of the foci of the elliptical orbit.
KEPLER’S LAWS
OF PLANETARY MOTION
Kepler's Second law states that the each planet revolves
around the sun in such a way that the line joining the
plant to the sun sweeps over areas in equal intervals of
time .
Therefore it follows that when the revolving body is closest

to the central body, it moves fastest on its orbit & when it
is furthest away from the central body it moves slowest.
KEPLER’S LAWS
OF PLANETARY MOTION
KEPLER’S LAWS
OF PLANETARY MOTION
1. Every planet moves around the sun in
an elliptical orbit (near circular, ovals)
with the sun at one focus.
– This describes a simple shape for the
orbit.
– For a more detailed description, the
elements of an orbit need to be
defined.
KEPLER’S LAWS
OF PLANETARY MOTION
• PERIHELION - the point marking the
nearest approach of a planet to the sun.
• APHELION - the point marking the
farthest distance of a planet from the
sun.
KEPLER’S LAWS
OF PLANETARY MOTION
KEPLER’S LAWS
OF PLANETARY MOTION
The moon’s orbit around the earth is
also elliptical & when the moon is
closest to the earth at about
221000 miles away it is said to be
in “Perigee”. & when the moon is
furthest from the earth at about
253000 miles it is said to be in
“Apogee”.
Eccentricity – Earth’s annual pilgrimage around the Sun isn’t perfectly circular, but it’s
pretty close. Over time, the pull of gravity from our solar system’s two largest gas giant
planets, Jupiter and Saturn, causes the shape of Earth’s orbit to vary from nearly
circular to slightly elliptical. Eccentricity measures how much the shape of Earth’s orbit
departs from a perfect circle. These variations affect the distance between Earth and
the Sun.
• The gravitational force exerted by Jupiter causes the
Earth’s orbit to vary from nearly circular with an
eccentricity of 0.005 to quite elliptical with an
eccentricity of 0.06. Currently, we enjoy an
eccentricity of 0.0174, nearly its minimum. There is
only a 3% difference in the distance to the sun at
perihelion and aphelion.
• Because of this, there can be up to a 30% difference
in the amount of solar radiation the Earth receives
between perihelion and aphelion.
• Obliquity – The angle Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted
as it travels around the Sun is known as obliquity.
Obliquity is why Earth has seasons. Over the last
million years, it has varied between 22.1 and 24.5
degrees perpendicular to Earth’s orbital plane. The
greater Earth’s axial tilt angle, the more extreme our
seasons are, as each hemisphere receives more solar
radiation during its summer, when the hemisphere is
tilted toward the Sun, and less during winter, when it
is tilted away. Larger tilt angles favor periods of
deglaciation (the melting and retreat of glaciers and
ice sheets). These effects aren’t uniform globally --
higher latitudes receive a larger change in total solar
radiation than areas closer to the equator.
• Earth’s axis is currently tilted 23.4 degrees, or about half
way between its extremes, and this angle is very slowly
decreasing in a cycle that spans about 41,000 years. It
was last at its maximum tilt about 10,700 years ago and
will reach its minimum tilt about 9,800 years from now. As
obliquity decreases, it gradually helps make our seasons
milder, resulting in increasingly warmer winters, and
cooler summers that gradually, over time, allow snow and
ice at high latitudes to build up into large ice sheets. As ice
cover increases, it reflects more of the Sun’s energy back
into space, promoting even further cooling.
• Day and Night video
• Many people believe that Earth is
closest to the sun in summer and
farthest in winter...
SAY WHAT?!
• Although this idea makes sense, it

is incorrect.
Why Does Earth Have Seasons?
• The Short Answer:

• Earth has seasons because its axis is
tilted. Earth’s axis is always pointed in
the same direction, so different parts of
Earth get the sun’s direct rays
throughout the year. For example, in
summer, the sun's rays hit that region
more directly than at any other time of
the year.
• On two days each year, on or around March 21 and
September 23, the Sun is directly above the equator. In
the Northern Hemisphere, spring starts on the March
date, which is called the vernal equinox; fall begins on
the September date, which is called the
autumnal equinox.
• Summer in the Northern Hemisphere begins on or
around June 21, the summer solstice, when the Sun is
directly above an imaginary line 23.5 degrees north of
the equator called the Tropic of Cancer.
• Winter begins on or around December 21, the winter
solstice, when the Sun is above the Tropic of Capricorn,
23.5 degrees south of the equator. The seasons are the
opposite in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Seasons video
Temperature Zones of the Earth
Temperature Zones of the Earth
Torrid Zone
• The region from the Equator to the Tropic of
Cancer(23½°N) in the northern hemisphere and from
the Equator to the Tropic of Capricorn(23½°S) in the
southern hemisphere or in other words, the region
between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn is
said to be a Torrid Zone.
• Solar radiation or Sun's rays falls vertically over this

region.
• Very high average temperature.
• Therefore, this region is known as the Torrid Zone.
Temperate Zone
• Northern Hemisphere: From the Tropic of Cancer
(23½°N) to the Arctic Circle (66½°N)
• Southern Hemisphere: From the Tropic of Capricorn
(23½°S) to the Antarctic Circle (66½°S)
• The Solar radiation or Sun's rays reaches the

ground slantingly (i.e. inclined)
• Moderate temperature prevails in this region. Hence,
this region is called the Temperate Zone.
Frigid Zone
• Northern hemisphere: From the Arctic Circle
(66½°N)to the North Pole (90°N)
• Southern hemisphere: From the Antarctic Circle
(66½°S) to the South Pole (90°S)
• The solar radiation or Sun's rays falls at a very

small angle (nearly flat) throughout the year.
• The temperature is very low and freezing.
Therefore, this region is known as the Frigid Zone.
END

Ability To Use Celestial Bodies To Determine The Ships Position

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ability To Use Celestial Bodies To Determine The Ships Position

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ability To Use Celestial Bodies To Determine The Ships Position

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ability to Use

Therefore it follows that when the revolving body is closest

• Although this idea makes sense, it

• The Short Answer:

• Solar radiation or Sun's rays falls vertically over this

• The Solar radiation or Sun's rays reaches the

• The solar radiation or Sun's rays falls at a very

You might also like