Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011aas...21720903s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #217, #209.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
What kinds of astronomical lab activities can introductory astronomy students carry out easily in daytime? The most impressive is the determination of their latitude and longitude from observations of the sun. The "shooting of a noon sight” and its "reduction to a position” is a technique still practiced by navigators in this age of GPS. Indeed, the U.S. Coast Guard exams for ocean-going licenses and include celestial navigation. These techniques continue to be used by the military and by private sailors as a backup to electronic navigation systems. We present a method to establish one's latitude and longitude to better than 30 miles from measurements of the sun's altitude that is easily within the capability non-science majors. This is a practical application of astronomy in use the world over. The streamlined method used is based on an easy-to-build protractor and string quadrant. Participants will leave with all materials to conduct this activity in their own classroom.
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