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The rules to determine how to employ the sun's declination north or south in
the noon sight will simplify themselves if we remember one or two simple
points.

By taking and correcting the noon sextant sight and subtracting it from 90
degrees, we have established our distance in nautical miles from the sun's
geographic position, the place on the earth's surface where the sun was
directly overhead at the moment we took the sight.  It is as simple as that,
we are x-miles from the sun.

Simply march off your distance from the sun.  You are either north or south of
the sun, and we can assume you will always know in what direction.  Where you
end up is where you are.

For half a year, the sun will be on the other side of the equator from you.
So, in marching off the zenith distance, simply take account of the number of
miles from the sun to the equator, and the remainder is your latitude on the
other side of the equator.

Even in those odd moments when you are deep in the tropics and the sun is
further from the equator than you are, it's all the same issue---how far are
you from the sun, and in what direction?  Your zenith distance in those cases
will probably be very small, and if you get confused, get out your chart, plot
where the sun is, then step off the nautical miles of your zenith distance and
establish your position.

Mal Misuraca
Passage East
Sausalito
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