Position-Fixing by culmination of the sun using the UK Admiralty Nautical Almanac (NA)

1. Explanation
- Culmination of the sun is the time, when it reaches its highest declination
- At this time, the sun is directly above the local meridian of the observed location
- Az is then 0° / 180°
- Time of culmination is everywhere about noon-time + / - 15min

2. Preparation
- Estimate the most probable position at noon time
- Check the sextant including the index error
- Have the height above waterline ready

3. Calculation

3.1.Find the exact time of culmination for the estimated position – 2 possible ways

3.1.1. Use of Nautical Almanac

- go to the daily page

- take the value for the meridian passage of the sun from below
- subtract the value of the estimated longitude in time (E=- / W= - - = + )

Meridian Passage T page below NA; hh:mm:ss

-  in time it divide longitude by 15 and enter in
hh:mm:ss
Culmination in UT1 UT1

3.1.2. Find the culmination by two measurements of the sun at different times – one time
before culmination, one time after culmination

- measurement of one height before culmination = ha, note chronometer time

- after culmination, take a second measurement with exactly the same height h aand note
the chronometer time
- get the time difference between both measurements
- divide the time difference from above by 2
- add this result to the first measurement
- that is the time for the culmination
3.2.Find the Greenwich Hour Angle of the Sun at time of culmination

GHA at time of culmination GHA daily page NA

+ Increment for mm:ss Incr yellow pages NA
GHA at time of culmination GHA This is the true longitude 

3.3.Calculation of the observed height

Reading from sextant ==

+ Index error Ierr + if reading taken on aft bow
- if reading taken on main bow
+ Horizon dip due to eye height DIP Table A2/A3 NA
+ Main Correction Mcorr Table A2/A3 NA
Note: Apparent Altitude found by:
= = + Ierr + DIP
+ Refraction R Table A4 NA
= Observed height hobs

3.4.Find the true latitude 

- Complement of distance to zenith: z0 = 90° - h0

Declination 
+ Declination correction dcorr Given on daily page for the full hour.
Divide by 60 and multiply the result
by chronometer minute and second
= Declination 

- Addition of z0 and 

Distance to zenith z0
+ Declination 
True latitude 

Rules for calculation:

b = h0 -  b = 90° -  90° -  = h0 - 

h0 = 90° -  +  pre-calculation of height

 = 90° - h0 +  calculation of latitude