Which of the following statements is true about declination in navigation?

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements is true about declination in navigation?

Declination here refers to the sun’s declination in celestial navigation—the angular distance of the sun north or south of the celestial equator. This value changes with the seasons, roughly +23.5° at the summer solstice and -23.5° at the winter solstice. That declination directly affects how high the sun climbs in the sky at a given latitude and, therefore, how long daylight lasts. When the sun’s declination is large and positive, daylight is longer; when it’s negative, daylight is shorter. In celestial navigation, you use this value along with your latitude to compute the sun’s altitude at a given time and to estimate sunrise and sunset, which are essential for determining daylight hours and timing sights. So, it’s true that declination helps mariners determine how much daylight they will have. Declination does not measure ship speed, it does not set the course, and it does have navigational uses, making the other statements inaccurate.

Declination here refers to the sun’s declination in celestial navigation—the angular distance of the sun north or south of the celestial equator. This value changes with the seasons, roughly +23.5° at the summer solstice and -23.5° at the winter solstice.

That declination directly affects how high the sun climbs in the sky at a given latitude and, therefore, how long daylight lasts. When the sun’s declination is large and positive, daylight is longer; when it’s negative, daylight is shorter. In celestial navigation, you use this value along with your latitude to compute the sun’s altitude at a given time and to estimate sunrise and sunset, which are essential for determining daylight hours and timing sights. So, it’s true that declination helps mariners determine how much daylight they will have.

Declination does not measure ship speed, it does not set the course, and it does have navigational uses, making the other statements inaccurate.

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