NavList:

Peter,

Actually, by my own analysis, I get a latitude about 1.5 miles off. And folding the graph of sights to get the axis of symmetry, I get a longitude about 12 minutes of arc or 9 nautical miles east of my true position. This is about the maximum error that I expect from meridian curves like this. I would "normally" expect the longitude error to be about five times greater than the latitude error (as a long-term average, of course). My sight intercepts were increasing steadily through the sequence. That explains the skew, but I can only speculate regarding the cause of the increase --most likely the usual horizon variability after the end of nautical twilight. I could "see" a horizon, but a little change in lighting or some change in the wind towards the horizon modifying the reflection, and the horizon might shift down during that forty minute period. It's interesting that the fix from the Moon sights was better than any fix from the other star/planet sights. Makes sense, I suppose.

-FER

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