On this page, Greenwich Hour Angle and Nautical Astronomy, we emphasize the significance of understanding Greenwich Hour Angle, a crucial factor in comprehending and calculating the Line of Position (LOP), which constitutes the main objective of this site.
Greenwich Hour Angle : the solar coordinate system involves two key components: Solar Declination (D) and Solar Greenwich Hour Angle (GHA).
Our mathematical formulas, which resolve the spherical triangle, utilize these data, obtained from the Nautical Almanac’s daily pages.
Greenwich Hour Angle and Nautical Astronomy: point GP
The thread stretching between a body’s center and the Earth’s center strikes the Earth’s crust at point GP
GHA and Declination are simply the coordinates on earth for point GP.
Indeed, it can be concluded that D is equivalent to the latitude and AHvo is equivalent to the longitude of the point GP at that moment
In fact, the declination of the sun (latitude) can never exceed 23° 44′ N or 23° 44′ S.
The point GP is probably too far out and not usable for finding your position on a nautical chart.
However, our mathematical formulas (resolution of the spherical triangle) use the two data points: GHA (Greenwich Hour Angle) and D (Declination) of this point GP.
Greenwich Hour Angle and Nautical Astronomy: difference between hour angle and longitude
There is a subtle difference in the expression between longitude (G) and GHA but for the same results.
Indeed, the hour angle progresses from 0° to 360° in a westward direction.
Alternatively, when referring to the coordinates on the Earth’s surface, we utilize longitude East (ranging from 0° to 180°) and longitude West (ranging from 0° to 180°).
In fact, the manipulation that needs to be performed is handled by the formulas.
Greenwich Hour Angle and Nautical Astronomy:
The nautical almanac
While, the nautical almanac gives us for each day and each whole UT hour this Declination and GHA.
Therefore, it is up to us to interpolate to have the Declination and GHA at the exact UT time of the observation
That is to say, to the nearest second !
How to calculate the GHA to the nearest second ?
