Function 1: Navigation at operational level

Competence No. 1: Plan & conduct a passage and determine position

Detailed Teaching Syllabus

Celestial navigation

Lectures Teaching Teaching

Method Material
(Hours)
1. Solar System
1. describes the composition and dimensions of the solar system
2. names inferior and superior planets. Understands Kepler’s laws of planetary
motions. Explains aphelion, perihelion, apogee, perigee, conjunction, opposition,
elongation
3. describes the earth’s elliptical orbit and states approximate perihelion and aphelion
distances and dates
4. explains the eccentricity of the earth’s orbit
5. describes the inclination of the earth’s axis to the plane of the orbit and the stability
of the axis ( ignoring precession) and shows how it causes the seasons
6. Explains the solstices and equinoxes & the dates of their occurrences.
7. explains the concept of the earth’s axial rotation giving day and night L(3.0) R-9, R-30

8. explains the varying length of daylight through the year, explains twilight, varying
duration of twilight, best time to take stellar sights & solves problems on twilight
calculations
9. explains daylight and darkness conditions in various latitudes at the solstices and
equinoxes
10. describes the significance of the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and of the Arctic
and Antarctic Circles
11. describe true & apparent motion of planets
12. explains the change in SHA of sun & planets
13. explains why Venus is visible in the mornings or evenings
14. explains why stars culminate about 4 minutes earlier each day
15. describes the Earth & Moon system, sidereal & synodic periods of the moons, its
nodes, phases, variation in its maximum declination, its age, its appearance relative
to the horizon, liberation, & daily retardation
16. describes solar & lunar eclipses & conditions necessary for them

Page: 1 of 5
 Lectures Teaching Teaching
Method Material
(Hours)
2. Celestial sphere and equinoctial system of co-ordinates

1. defines the celestial sphere

2. explains the apparent annual motion of the sun and the concept of the ecliptic
3. defines ‘celestial poles’, ‘celestial meridians’, ‘equinoctial’ and the ‘obliquity of the
ecliptic’
L (1.0) R-9, R-30
4. explains the equinoctial as a fixed reference plane and the direction of the First
Ex.(1.0)
Point of Aries as a reference direction (ignoring the effect of precession)
5. describes the equinoctial system of co-ordinates and defines sidereal hour angle,
declination and polar distance.
6. defines declination of heavenly bodies
7. explains the procedure of using Nautical Almanac
8. extracts information from the star diagrams in the Nautical almanac

3. Hour angle
1. describes the concept of the earth’s axial rotation causing change in the hour angle
of bodies
2. defines ‘Greenwich Hour Angle(GHA)’, ‘Local Hour Angle (LHA)’ and longitude,
and explains their relationship. Defines ‘Siderial Hour Angle (SHA).
3. states the rate of change of GHA of the sun and Aries L (1.0) R-9, R-30
4. identifies the tabulation of SHA,GHA, and declination ( and ‘d’ and ‘v’ corrections) Ex.(1.0)
in the Nautical Almanac for all celestial bodies, defines Right Ascension
5. determines the Geographical Position of a heavenly body for any given GMT

4. Daily motion and Horizon system of Co-Ordinates

1. explains daily apparent motion of heavenly bodies
2. defines ‘rational horizon’, ‘zenith’ and ‘nadir’
2. defines ‘vertical circle’ and ‘prime vertical circle’
4. defines ‘elevated pole’ and ‘depressed pole’
5. proves that the altitude of the elevated pole is equal to the observer’s latitude
6. defines the observer’s upper and lower celestial meridian
7. defines ‘true altitude’, ‘azimuth’, and ‘true zenith distance’
8. explains the relationship between azimuth, quadrantal bearings and 3600 notation L (2.0) R-9, R-30,

bearing, solving problems on azimuth & max. azimuth Ex.(1.0) T-28

9. recognises rising and setting points of Heavenly Bodies and defines Amplitude
10. explains the Theoretical & Visible Sunrise & Sunset
11. explains the meaning of the term Circumpolar and describes the conditions
necessary for a body to be circumpolar

Page: 2 of 5
12. describes the condition necessary for a body to cross the prime vertical
13. recognises the parts of the PZX triangle
14. draws figures on the plane of the rational horizon and of the observer’s celestial
meridian, using the equidistant projection to illustrate navigational problems and
principles

5. Sextant and altitude correction

1. defines ‘sextant altitude’
2. demonstrates how to read a Sextant & explains the errors of the Sextant
3. describes how to find the index error of the sextant by the sun
4. uses the sextant for taking Horizontal Angles
5. describes the purpose of altitude correction
6. defines ‘visible’, sensible’ and ‘rational’ horizons
7. defines ‘observed altitude’ and ‘true altitude’
8. defines ‘dip’, ‘refraction’, ‘semi-diameter’ and ‘parallax’, and explains their causes L (1.0) R-9, R-30

9. applies index error Ex. (1.0)

10. applies the corrections for the items listed above and explains the factors P (2.0)

determining their magnitude

11. illustrates the effect of terrestrial refraction on the dip and distance of the sea
horizon
12. uses the altitude correction tables in the Nautical almanac, including reference to
critical tables, interpolation tables and low- altitude correction tables
13. obtains the true zenith distance from the true altitude of the body

6. Amplitude
1. determines the observed altitude of the sun when the true altitude is zero
2. explains the effect of latitude on the accuracy of amplitude observations L (0.5) R-9, R-30

3. calculates the LAT and LMT of the theoretical and visible rising and setting of the Ex.(0.5)

sun
4. extracts information from the tabulation of the rising and setting of the sun in the
Nautical Almanac

Page: 3 of 5
7. Time and equation of time
1. defines the apparent Solar day and states the relationship between LHA (sun) and
LAT
2. defines the sidereal day and states that it is a fixed time interval
3 .explains the reasons for the sun’s irregular rate of change of SHA and hence the
necessity to adopt the astronomical mean sun for time keeping purposes, defines
mean solar day L (3.0) R-9, R-30
4. defines the equation of time (ET) and its components Ex.(1.0)
5. determines the ET from the Almanac and its sign of application, explains the yearly
variation of ET by demonstrating the yearly variation in its components
6. defines GMT, LMT and longitude, relation ship between longitude & time
7. defines zone times and standard times
8 explains how to alter the Ship’s time during a passage with increasing or decreasing
longitude
9. calculates the error of a chronometer or watch
10.defines the International Date Line & states its use

8. Nautical almanac

1. describes the information contained in general in the Nautical Almanac (NA) and in
detail in the daily pages.
2. uses the tables of corrections and incremental corrections in the Nautical Almanac L (1.0) R-9, R-30
3. finds the LHA of a body, given the date, GMT and longitude of the observer P (1.0)
4. explains the importance of the First Point of Aries
5. finds the LHA of Aries, given the date, GMT and longitude of the observer
6. explains what is meant by the Sidereal Hour Angle of a star and obtains it from the
Nautical Almanac
7. derives the LHA of a star from the LHA of Aries and the SHA of the star
8. use the information in the Nautical almanac to obtain the LMT of the meridian
passage of a body to the nearest minute and interpolates for the observer’s
longitude when necessary
9. Latitude by Meridian Altitude

1. applies the true zenith distance of a body when it is on the observer’s

2. applies these correctly when the declination and latitude have the same name
3. applied these correctly when the declination and latitude have different names L (1.0) R-9, R-30,
4. states the relationship between the altitude of the elevated pole and the latitude of Ex.(1.0) T-28
the observer
5. explains what is meant by a Circumpolar Star, and the terms upper and lower transit
6. finds the value of the polar distance of the body, using its declination
7. applies the polar distance to the true altitude of a body at lower transit to find the
altitude of the elevated pole and the latitude.
8. states the direction of the position line through the observer when taking a meridian
altitude.
10. Pole Star Observations
1. identifies certain major stellar constellations and navigational stars describes their
movement relative to Polaris and the movement of Polaris with change of latitude
2. identifies Polaris
3. identifies some major constellations
4. describes the motion of the stars about Polaris L (1.0) R-9, R-30,
5. describes the relationship between the altitude of Polaris and the observer’s latitude Ex.(1.0) T-28
6. deduces from above that the true altitude of Polaris can be used to find the latitude
Page: 4 of 5
 of the observer
7. obtains the corrections +a0 , +a1, +a2 from Pole Star tables in the Nautical Almanac
and applies them to the altitude of Polaris to find the latitude of the observer
8. finds the true azimuth of Polaris from the table and the direction of the position
line.
11. Position fixing
1. combines the equinoctial and horizon system of co-ordinates to determine the centre
and radius of a position circle and its direction in the vicinity of a selected position
2. applies the principles of a method of enabling the navigator to draw a small part the
position circle in his vicinity to a practical problem
3. states the assumptions made when plotting celestial positions lines and the
circumstances in which they may become significant describes the significance of
intercepts and long by Chron methods of sights
L (5.0) R-9, R-30,
4. determines the directions of a position line through an observer and a position
Ex.(4.0) T-28
through which it passes
5. defines and evaluates the co-latitudes polar distances and zenith distances and uses
them as the sides of the PZX triangle
6. solves the PZX triangles to find the calculated zenith distance of the body when it is
out of the meridian (Ex Meridian)
7. applies this calculated zenith distances to the true zenith distances of the body to
find out the intercept and the intercept terminal point through which to draw the
position line (Marcq St. Hilaire method)
8. determines the true azimuth of the body from tables and hence determines the
direction of the position lines.
9. finds the position of the position of the observer at the time of the final observation
given two or more position lines with the courses and distances run between the
observations (Simultaneous & Staggered Observations)
12. Errors of compasses by Amplitudes & Azimuths (SUN, MOON,
STARS & PLANETS)
1. obtains the error of the magnetic compass or gyro compass by comparing the
compass bearing of the body with the true azimuth of the body obtained at the same
time of observation
2. obtains the azimuth of the body from the tables using GMT of the observations L (1.0) R-9, R-30,
information from the Nautical almanac LHA of the body and the observer’s DR Ex.(1.0) T28
position
3. obtains from tables or by calculations using the observer’s DR position and
information from the Nautical Almanac the true bearing of a heavenly body on
rising or setting i.e. solves an amplitude problem
4. obtains the magnetic variation for the observer’s position using isogonal lines or
other information on the chart
5. applies variations to the error of the magnetic compass to find the deviation for the
direction of the ship‘s head
6. calculates compass error and gyro error from transit bearings to distant fixed
objects.

TOTAL 36 Hours

Page: 5 of 5