Welcome to the NavList Message Boards.

NavList:

A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding

Compose Your Message

Message:αβγ
Message:abc
Add Images & Files
    Name or NavList Code:
    Email:
       
    Reply
    GHAA formula
    From: Paul Hirose
    Date: 1997 Dec 07, 4:36 PM

    For ordinary navigational purposes, it's possible to simplify the
    GHAA formula quite a bit.  Here is the original posted by "WSMurdoch":
    
    GHAA = 0.7790573 + 36,625.0021390T + 0.0000011T^2
           - 0.0000122sin(125.0 - 1934.1T) - 0.0000009sin(200.9 + 72,001.7T)
    
    T is elapsed time in Julian centuries (36 525 days per century) since
    2000 Jan 1 12 h UT.  The result is in units of revolutions.
    
    What can be removed from the formula?  Well, the sine of an angle is
    never more than 1, so the last term cannot affect the result by more
    than .0000009 rev, or .02' of arc.  Similarly, the next to last term
    has a max effect of about 1/4 minute of arc.  If we drop the last two
    terms, the accuracy should still be ample for practical work, and we
    no longer need a calculator with trig functions.
    
    The T squared term can be omitted as well, unless you need to cover a
    long time span.  Not until we are three centuries from our base year
    of 2000 will this term reach 1/4 minute.
    
    The formula now becomes:
    
     GHAA = 0.779 057 + 36 625.002 14 T
    
    Note that I've also rounded the constants to six decimal places.  For
    the range 1900 - 2100, that will cause a negligible loss of accuracy,
    compared to the terms I deleted.
    
    As long as we remain in the years 1730 - 2270, a ten digit calculator
    will be okay for this formula.  Within those years, the calculator
    will resolve to .00001 revolution, or .2'.
    
    Note that most navigators use UTC without bothering to convert to UT1.
    Whether you're using the almanac or the above formula, that omission
    will cause up to 1/4 arc-minute error in GHAA.  See the explanation in
    the Nautical Almanac.
    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=
    =-=  TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send this message to majordomo@ronin.com:     =-=
    =-=       navigation                                         =-=
    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=
    

       
    Reply
    Browse Files

    Drop Files

    NavList

    What is NavList?

    Get a NavList ID Code

    Name:
    (please, no nicknames or handles)
    Email:
    Do you want to receive all group messages by email?
    Yes No

    A NavList ID Code guarantees your identity in NavList posts and allows faster posting of messages.

    Retrieve a NavList ID Code

    Enter the email address associated with your NavList messages. Your NavList code will be emailed to you immediately.
    Email:

    Email Settings

    NavList ID Code:

    Custom Index

    Subject:
    Author:
    Start date: (yyyymm dd)
    End date: (yyyymm dd)

    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site