SHIP OPERATIONS MA 0525

PRESENTATION: TOPIC 1 Presented By : Surendran. S Brandon C. Roch Chong Yew Huat Kumar Amman DNS 3B 01/02
1/19/2012 1

MARINE SEXTANT

MARINE SEXTANT
The Sextant is an instrument used to measure angles, either vertical or horizontal, to obtain the necessary data to check the vessels position. In a sextant, a ray of light is reflected twice by two mirrors, the index and horizon mirrors, in the same plane.

MARINE SEXTANT
Principle of a Marine Sextant The principle of a sextant is based on the fact that twice the angle between the mirrors must equal the angle between the initial and final directions of a ray of light which has undergone two reflections.

ERRORS OF A SEXTANT
1) 2) 3) 4) Non-Adjustable errors Centering Error Prismatic Error Shade Error Graduation Error

Do you Know about sextant parts?

CENTERING ERROR
This error could be caused by wearing of the pivot on which the index arm moves, perhaps because the index arm is not pivoted at the exact point of the centre of curvature of the arc.

PRISMATIC ERROR
This error is caused by the two faces of the mirror not being parallel to each other.

SHADE ERROR
This is an error caused by the faces of shades not being parallel to each other. If it is known to exist, the telescope is used in conjunction with the eyepiece.

GRADUATION ERROR
This error may be encountered on the arc itself or on the vernier or micrometer scales. If the micrometer drum is known to be correct, then the first and last graduations on the drum should always be aligned with graduation marks on the arc.

How to read

The manufacturer tables all the nonadjustable errors and issues the sextant with a certificate usually secured inside the lid of the case.

The combination of the four mentioned errors is known as Instrument Error.

ERRORS OF A SEXTANT
Adjustable Errors 1) Error of Perpendicularity 2) Side Error 3) Index Error 4) Collimation Error

Error of Perpendicularity
This error is caused by the index mirror not being perpendicular to the plane of the instrument. To check if this error is present, clamp the index arm between a third and half way along the arc, remove the telescope and look obliquely into the index mirror, observing the true and reflected arcs of the sextant.

Error of Perpendicularity
Hold the sextant horizontal, arc away from the body. If the true and reflected arcs are not in line with each other, then an error of perpendicularity must be considered to exist.

Correcting the Error of Perpendicularity

To correct the error, adjust the screw at the rear of the index mirror until the true and reflected arcs are brought together in line.

SIDE ERROR
Side Error is caused by the horizon mirror not being perpendicular to the plane of the instrument. There are two ways of checking if this error is present: Observing a star Observing the horizon

Observing a star

Hold the sextant in the vertical position with the index arm set at zero, and observe a second magnitude star through the telescope. If the true and reflected stars are side by side, then side error must be considered to exist. It is often the case when checking the instrument for side error that the true and reflected stars are coincident. If this is the case, a small amount of side error may exist, but the mirror adjustment of the micrometer should cause the true star to

Observing a star
Should, however, the reflected image move to one side rather than move in a vertical motion, side error may be considered to exist.

Observing the Horizon

Set the index arm at zero and hold the sextant just off the horizontal position. Look through the telescope at the true and reflected horizons. If they are misaligned, then side error exists.

Correcting Side Error

Adjust the screw furthest from the plane of the instrument at the back of the horizon mirror, to bring either the star and its image into coincidence or the true and reflected horizons into line.

Index Error
This error is caused by the index mirror and the horizon mirror not being parallel to each other when the index arm is set at zero. To check whether index error is present by observing a star, look through the telescope when the sextant is set at zero, and if the reflected image of the star is above or below the true image, then index error exists.

Index Error
Should the true and reflected images be coincident, then no error will exist. To check by observing the horizon, set the index arm at zero, hold the sextant in the vertical position, and observe the line of the true and reflected horizons; If they are seen as one continuous line, no error exists. If the line between the true and reflected horizons is broken, an adjustment is to be made to correct the error.

Correction of Index Error

It is corrected by observing the Sun. Fit the shaded eyepiece to the telescope. Clamp the Index arm at about 32 off the arc and observe the true and reflected images to the position of limb upon limb. Repeat the observation with index arm set at 32 on the arc, and note the two readings of both observations. The numerical value of the index error is the difference between the two readings divided by 2, and would be called on the arc if the on the arc reading were the greater of the two & off the arc if the off the arc reading were the greater.

Correction of Index Error

The accuracy of the observations may be checked by adding the numerical values of both readings and dividing the number by 4. The resulting value should equal the semi diameter of the sun for the period at which the observation was taken.

COLLIMATION ERROR
This is the error caused by the axis of the telescope not being parallel to the plane of the instrument. To check whether the error is present, insert the inverting telescope, setting the eyepiece so that 1 pair of the cross wires are parallel to the plane of the sextant.

Correcting Collimation Error

The error can be corrected by adjustment of the two screws in the collar, or telescope mounting. The screws are moved together, one being tightened, the other slackened, to align the stars on the top intersection which will bring the telescope back to parallel with the sextant frame. (not all sextants have adjustable screws).

MARINE BAROMETER

MARINE BAROMETER
A barometer is an instrument for measuring the pressure of the air, due to the weight of the column of air above it. As the earth's atmosphere gets thinner with increasing height, it follows that as we ascend from sea level and low-lying parts of the earth's surface, the weight of the air will decrease. That is, the pressure will fall.

INTERNAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE BAROMETER

HOW IT WORKS
The aneroid barometer is operated by a metal cell containing only a very small amount of air, or a series of such cells joined together. Increased air pressure causes the sides of the cell or cells to come closer together. One side is fixed to the base of the instrument while the other is connected by means of a system of levers and pulleys to a rotating pointer that moves over a scale on the face of the instrument. This pointer is usually black.

The aneroid barometer (above) consists of a closed sealed capsule with flexible sides. Any change in pressure alters the thickness of the capsule.

Levers magnify these changes, causing a pointer to move on a dial, or numbers to change on a digital read-out device.

USE OF BAROMETER IN FORCASTING

To repeat what was said at the beginning, a barometer is an instrument which measures air pressure. It does NOT foretell weather, so you would be well advised to put little faith in the words STORMY, RAIN, CHANGE, FAIR and DRY which appear on the face of many popular makes of barometer. The pressure may well never fall to the values shown for Stormy or Rain for most places within Australia.

Many of you will know from the weather charts displayed on television or published in the city newspapers, that highs and lows move in general from west to east, especially in the more southern latitudes. Bad weather is often associate with the lows, though moist onshore winds can cause rain in coastal areas even if the pressure is high. In other words, the actual reading of the barometer does not give unmistakable information concerning the weather to come.

Your barometer will show whether pressure is rising or falling, that is, whether a high or low pressure system is approaching, or perhaps developing in intensity.

But here, a word of caution! Owing to a daily atmospheric tide effect, the pressure will normally fall by about three hectopascals between 9 am and 3 pm and will rise by a nearly similar amount between 3 pm and 9 am, even if weather systems are stationary. A smaller rise and fall occurs during the night and early morning. These daily (diurnal) changes must be allowed for before you can really say whether pressures are rising or falling due to weather systems. The best way to avoid this difficulty is to observe changes over 24-hour periods, using your movable set pointer. In other words, check your barometer at the same time each day.

When there is a fairly large fall, say more than seven hectopascals in 24 hours, you can assume that a high is moving away or that a depression is approaching, or both.

MARINE HYGROMETER

MARINE HYGROMETER WITH STEVENSON SCREEN

MARINE HYGROMETER
This is an instrument for measuring relative humidity. Marine hygrometers are normally used in conjunction with a Stevensons Screen, which allows the air to circulate freely inside but protects the hygrometer from the direct force of the wind and the chill factor.

MARINE HYGROMETER
The hygrometer consists of two thermometers secured side by side. The mercury bulb of one is kept dry, and this is known as the dry bulb thermometer. The other thermometer has a muslin wick covering the mercury bulb, and the end of the wick is dipped into a small distilled water reservoir. This is known as the wet bulb thermometer.

MARINE HYGROMETER
The hygrometer is used in conjunction with calibrated tables to obtain not only the relative humidity but also the dewpoint. Dewpoint is the temperature at which a sample of moist air (or any other gas sample containing water vapor) at constant pressure reaches water vapor saturation. These values are indicated by the difference between the wet and dry bulb thermometers.

MARINE HYGROMETER
Operation The process of evaporation requires heat, and this heat is drawn from the wet bulb thermometer. Evaporation of the distilled water in the reservoir and more directly from the wick takes place, leaving the wet bulb thermometer generally at a temperature below that of the dry bulb.

MARINE HYGROMETER
Should the air be saturated at the time of observation, then the temperatures indicated by both wet and dry bulb thermometers will in fact be the same.

MARINE HYGROMETER
The readings are useful to ships officers in predicting the condensation of moisture in the atmosphere. This in fact is particularly relevant to vessels whose cargoes would be at risk from cargo sweat, owing to improper ventilation. It should be noted that high levels of moisture in the air may indicate the approach of a tropical storm or depression.

END OF PRESENTATION

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION!

REFERENCES
SEAMANSHIP TECHNIQUES ( Combined Volume) 2nd Edition Author : D J House MARINE SEXTANT www.tpub.com/content/administration/14221/css/14221_228.htm http://www.angelfire.com/nt/navtrig/E1.html MARINE BAROMETER www.bom.gov.au/info/aneroid/aneroid.shtml MARINE HYGROMETER http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygrometer