NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Checking compass deviation
From: Franklin H Norris
Date: 1995 Aug 24, 14:28 -0500
From: Franklin H Norris
Date: 1995 Aug 24, 14:28 -0500
What you need to calculate is the amplitude of the sun. Amplitude is the true bearing of a rising or setting body measured north or south of due east or due west. The formula is Sin(Amplitude) = Sin(Declination)/Cos(Latitude) Amplitude is north for north declination and south for south declination. For example: if the sun's amplitude is 10.2 degrees north and your latitude is 40 degrees north then the amplitude is 13.4 degrees north. This means the sun will rise with true bearing 90-13.4 or 76.6 degrees. Likewise, the sun will set with true bearing 270+13.4 or 283.4 degrees. If the moon's declination is 7.75 degrees south and your latitude is 20 degrees south, the amplitude is -8.2 degrees or 8.2 degrees south. This gets tricky. Since the declination is south, the moon rises at 90 - Amplitude degrees. The amplitude is -8.2 so the bearing is 90 - -8.2 = 90+8.2 = 98.2 degrees. The moon will set at 270 + -8.2 or at 261.8 degrees. This happens on September 7 of this year. South declination always results in the phenomenon occurring south of due east or west. When the declination of the body is north, it rises and sets north of due east or due west. Good luck adjusting your compass.