The Nautical Almanac

The Nautical Almanac contains the astronomical information

which is needed by the mariner. The information are:
GHA and declination for sun.
GHA and declination for the moon.
GHA and declination for selected stars and planets.
Corrections to reduce the observed values to true.

 The nautical Almanac is devoted to hourly tabulations of

the GHA and declination to the nearest 0.1 arc.
On each page you will find three consecutive days.
The left side of the page the GHA of the Aries and the GHA
and the declination of the Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn
are placed.
Besides this information you will find the SHA and the
declination of 57 stars.

 On the right hand page the GHA and declination of the

sun and the moon and the moons horizontal parallax are
listed.
Where applicable in the almanac the v and d are also
given.
The v is the difference between the actual change of the
GHA in 1 hour and a constant value used in the
interpolation tables.
The d is the change in declination in 1 hour. Both of them
are listed to the nearest 0.1.

 Also included in the nautical almanac is the LMT of the

sunrise and sunset and the beginning and ending of the
nautical and civil twilight.
The beginning and ending of the twilight is for latitude
72oN to 60oS.
The LMT of moonrise and set is listed at the same
latitude for each of the three days.
Furthermore the Meridian Pass - (UT of transit cross the
celestial meridian of Greenwich) is also listed as well as
the magnitude of each planet at UT 1200 of the middle
day.

The use of the nautical almanac

The main contents of the nautical almanac consists of data
from which the GHA and the declination of all celestial
bodies can be obtained and this for any instant UT.
For getting the LHA following formula can be obtained:
LHA = GHA + East longitude
LHA = GHA - west longitude
For the sun, moon and the planets the GHA and the
declination for these bodies are tabulated for each hour of
GMT.
For the stars the GHA is to be obtained from:
GHA of the star = GHA of the Aries + SHA of the star

In the nautical almanac the permanent table for the

increments also includes corrections for v and d.
v is positive unless a negative sign is shown (negative sign
only for Venus).
No sign is given for d. The rule here is:
d is positive if the declination is increasing and
d is negative if the declination is decreasing.

Finding the GHA and Declination of the sun

1. Enter the daily page of the nautical almanac for your
date.
2. Take out the tabulated GHA and the declination for the
body observed for whole hour in GMT.
3. Record also the d value at the bottom of the declination
column.
4. Take out the increment and correction table for the
minutes. If there are second take the next earlier whole
minute.
5. Add the increment to the GHA from the daily page.
6. The sum is the GHA of the sun.
7. Enter now the correction table for the same minute with
the d value.
8. Add the found value to the declination from the daily
page.
9. The sum is the declination of the sun.

Finding the GHA and declination for the moon.

1. Enter the daily page of the nautical almanac for your date.
2. Take out the tabulated GHA and the declination for the moon for
the whole hour.
3. Take the corresponding v and d value tabulated on the same
line (determine the sign for both).
4. Take the increment and correction Table for minutes of GMT.
5. Take the GHA correction from the moon column.
6. Enter the correction table with the same minutes for the v
value.
7. Add both to the GHA from the daily page.
8. The sum is now the GHA of the Moon.
9. Enter the same correction table with the d value and extract the
correction.
10. Give the correct sign to the d value and apply it to the
declination of the daily page.
11. The result is the declination of the moon.

Finding the GHA and declination of a Planet

1. Enter the daily page of the nautical almanac for your date.
2. Take out the tabulated GHA and the declination for the
body
observed for whole hour in GMT.
3. Record the v value given at the bottom of each of these
columns.
4. Enter the increment and correction table for the minutes
of GMT, and on the line of the seconds of GMT take the
GHA correction from the sun - planet column.
5. Now enter the correction table with the v value and
extract the correction (give the correct sign for the v value).

Finding the GHA and declination of a Planet

6. Add now the first correction to the GHA from the daily
page and apply the second correction in accordance with its
sign (+ or -).
7. The result is the GHA of the planet.
8. Take out from the correction table for the same minute
with the d value correction.
9. Extract the correction (with correct sign).
10. Apply the value to the declination from the daily page to
get the declination.

Finding the GHA and declination of a star

To find the GHA for stars it is similar to sun and moon and
planets.
Instead of the GHA you have to take out the GHA of the
Aries.
Add the increments and as well the SHA of the star.

Finding the LHA of the Aries Using Nautical Almanac

1. Take the GHA (Aries if for stars) for the month and day
and hour.
2. Take out the increment for the minutes and seconds.
3. Sum = GHA of Aries (if for stars)
4. Subtract (longitude if west) or add (if east)
5. If the sum of GHA and Longitude is bigger than 360o
subtract 360o to get the LHA for the Aries (for stars).

Finding the LHA of the Aries Using HO table 249

1. Enter table 4a (for month and year).
2. Enter table 4b (for days and hours).
3. And at last enter table 4c (for minutes and seconds).
4. Then summarised to get the GHA for the Aries.
5. Subtract (longitude if west) or add (if east)
6. If the sum of GHA and Longitude is bigger than 360o
subtract 360o to get the LHA for the Aries (for stars).

Problem # 1. On the 30th of April 2000, at position 48o N,

007o 50 E, an observer wants to sight the stars at 1900 H
GMT.
Following problems have to be solved with the help of the HO
table 249.
1. What is the LHA of the Aries at 1900 H GMT.
2. What stars are visible?
3. What are the altitude of these stars?
4. What are the azimuth of these stars?

Solution:
1. Calculating the LHA of the Aries for 1900 GMT.
Table 4a - for April 2000
189o 39
Table 4b - for 30th 19 H
28o 35
Table 4c - for 00m 00 s
00o 00
GHA of Aries =
219o 14
Assumed longitude
=+
7o 50 (East)
LHA of Aries =
227o 04

2. Which stars are visible?

Our assumed latitude was 48o N. From the page 65 in the HO
249 (Lat 48o N) we will take out the LHA of the Aries on the
left side. Under LHA 227o we can take out the following stars
the sight.
Dubhe, Vega, Rasalhague, Antares, Arcturus, Denebola,
and Deneb

3 and 4. What are the altitudes and azimuths of these stars?

STARS
ALTITUDE
AZIMUTH
1. Deneb
35o 38
059o
2. Vega
51o 43
084o
3. Rasalhague
43o 14
127o
4. Antares
13o 21
161o
5. Arcturus
59o 17
205o
6. Denebola
37o 16
248o
7. Dubhe
53o 53
315o