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    Triangle PZX

    Uploaded by

    Alex Villarente
    The intercept method uses the difference between observed and computed altitudes of a celestial body to determine a ship's position. It involves measuring the altitude of a body from the true position and comparing it to the calculated altitude at the assumed position. The difference between the two altitudes, known as the intercept, equals the distance between the positions. The method gives the distance but not direction, which requires calculating the azimuth from the assumed position.

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    Triangle PZX

    Uploaded by

    Alex Villarente
    325 views22 pages
    The intercept method uses the difference between observed and computed altitudes of a celestial body to determine a ship's position. It involves measuring the altitude of a body from the true position and comparing it to the calculated altitude at the assumed position. The difference between the two altitudes, known as the intercept, equals the distance between the positions. The method gives the distance but not direction, which requires calculating the azimuth from the assumed position.

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    The intercept method uses the difference between observed and computed altitudes of a celestial body to determine a ship's position. It involves measuring the altitude of a body from the true position and comparing it to the calculated altitude at the assumed position. The difference between the two altitudes, known as the intercept, equals the distance between the positions. The method gives the distance but not direction, which requires calculating the azimuth from the assumed position.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    325 views22 pages

    Triangle PZX

    Uploaded by

    Alex Villarente
    The intercept method uses the difference between observed and computed altitudes of a celestial body to determine a ship's position. It involves measuring the altitude of a body from the true position and comparing it to the calculated altitude at the assumed position. The difference between the two altitudes, known as the intercept, equals the distance between the positions. The method gives the distance but not direction, which requires calculating the azimuth from the assumed position.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 22

    PZX Triangle

    Pn
    X
    • Pn= Celestial Pole
    • Z= Zenith P GP
    • X= Heavenly body
    • GP=Geographical Position
    GP of Heavenly body

    GP
    Position Circle

    GP
    GP
    2 intersections of altitude circles gives 2 position on earth

    Only One position is closed to your AP

    GP

    GP
    GP
    GP
    N
    Azimuth

    GP

    GP
    N

    P2
    LO
    LO
    P1
    GP
    GP
    3 intersections of altitude circles gives fix position

    GP

    GP
    GP
    GP GP

    GP
    HO=Observed Altitude
    HC=Computed Altitude
    “a”=Intercept

    GP HO

    P
    LO
    HC
    Di Azimuth
    ffe
    ren
    Bearing and Distance ce “a”
    From computed position of P AP
    Al O
    titu L
    de
    • The greater HC altitude the farther
    you are from the GP
    • Hc is the fix point to get your
    bearing and distant ( it’s a big distance
    if you will get your bearing and distance
    From GP it will not fit into chart, that is why
    They used intercept method

    * AP is the assumed position


    The Intercept method , also known as the Marcq
    St. Hilaire method after the French Navigator
    who devised it in 1875, is a method of establishing a
    fix by measuring the altitude of a celestial body from
    the true position and comparing this with the
    calculated altitude at the DR position or the EP.  The
    difference between the two altitudes will be equal to
    the distance between the two positions and this
    distance is known as the intercept.
    GP
    HC

    P
    LO AP
    HO
    Di Azimuth
    ffe
    ren
    ce “a”
    of P
    Al LO
    titu
    de
    The true position of the Ship is
    represented by A in the diagram
    Z represents the zenith of the
    true position
    X represents the position of the
    Sun
    U represents the geographical
    position of the Sun
    ZX is the zenith distance and AU
    is equal to the angular distance
    ZX in nautical miles.
    We can see that the zenith distance is equal to  90o –
    Altitude.  So, measuring the altitude gives us a
    method of calculating the zenith distance and the
    zenith distance gives us the distance AU in nautical
    miles.
    Now, If we calculate what the altitude would have
    been at the  
    Assumed Position (the D.R. or E.P. position)
     position at the time that the altitude was measured
    at the true position, we would then be able to
    compare the two altitudes and calculate the
    We can calculate the altitude at the assumed position
    by using either spherical trigonometry or by sight
    reduction techniques.

    Calculating the Zenith Distance at the True


    Position.  Suppose the Sun’s altitude, as measured
    at the true position, was 68o.06.  Using this
    information, the calculation for finding the zenith
    distance at the true position would be as shown
    below:
    Zenith Distance = 90o– Alt
                                       = 90o – 68o.06
                                        = 21o .94 = 1316’.84
                                         = 1316.4 n.m.
    Calculating the Zenith Distance at the Assumed
    Position. Suppose that, at the same time as
    measuring the altitude at the true position, we find
    from the Sight Reduction Tables that the tabulated
    altitude at the Assumed Position is 67o.92; then the
    zenith distance would be:

    Zenith Distance = 90o – Alt


    = 90o – 67o.92
    = 22o.08 = 1324’.8
    = 1324.8 n.m.
    Therefore distance of the true position from the
    apparent position

    = 1324.8 – 1316.4 = 8.4 nautical miles.

    Alternatively, we could simply find the difference


    between the two altitudes and convert this to
    nautical miles as follows:

    Alt. at true position = 68o.06


    Alt. at assumed position = 67o .92
    Z.D. = 68o.06 – 67o.92 = 0o. 14 = 8.4
    nautical miles
    However, we must remember that this only
    gives us the distance and not the direction of
    the true position from the assumed position. To
    find the direction, we can either measure the
    true bearing of the Sun from the true position or
    we can calculate the azimuth from the assumed
    position. We calculate the azimuth from data
    relating to the assumed position , our aim must
    be to find the direction of the true position from
    the assumed position and we can only do this
    by calculating the azimuth.

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