A line of position from a celestial...

Question 1 of 2707066636ee928f7522a1c519ae7

A line of position from a celestial observation is a segment of which choice?

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Question 1 of 27070

Q

A line of position from a celestial observation is a segment of which choice?

🔍 Key Concepts

• Circle of equal altitude in celestial navigation • Difference between a geometric line drawn on your chart and the true shape of the position line on the Earth • How a single sextant sight defines all points on Earth where the body has the same observed altitude

💭 Think About

• When you take one sextant sight and reduce it, what set of all possible observer positions does that single altitude actually define on the Earth? • On your plotting sheet, you draw a straight line segment as your LOP. But on the curved surface of the Earth, what larger figure is that straight segment really part of? • Which of the choices describes a figure where every point has the same altitude of the observed celestial body above the horizon?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which option clearly relates to equal altitude rather than latitude, declination, or vertical planes • Recall that on a small-scale chart a curved figure on Earth can be represented by a straight segment • Eliminate any option that describes a line tied only to the Earth’s axis or equator (e.g., parallels of latitude or declination) rather than to an observed altitude