A phase correction is applied to...

Question 1 of 2707066636ee928f7522a1c519e25

A phase correction is applied to observations of __________.

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Question 1 of 27070

Q

A phase correction is applied to observations of __________.

🔍 Key Concepts

• Celestial navigation sight reductions and what kinds of bodies use special corrections • The meaning of phase when talking about illuminated portions of a celestial body • Which bodies appear as a disk with changing illumination versus as a point of light

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: which of these bodies can show a partially illuminated disk (like a crescent, gibbous, etc.) when viewed from Earth? • Consider whether stars and the Sun ever have a visible phase to a navigator using a sextant, or whether they are treated differently in sight reduction tables. • Think about which of these bodies require extra corrections beyond index error, dip, and refraction—specifically because they do not present a fully illuminated circular disk.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which bodies are treated as point sources of light versus extended disks in navigation practice. • Check your celestial navigation tables or textbook section on sextant altitude corrections (altitude correction tables) and see which entries mention phase correction by name. • Confirm for each option whether a navigator would ever speak of it having a crescent or gibbous phase as seen from Earth.