You are on course 146°T. To check the speed...

Question 1 of 31048fy_heal_CREATE_q124_2027

You are on course 146°T. To check the speed of your vessel you should observe a celestial body on which bearing?

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Question 1 of 31048

Q

You are on course 146°T. To check the speed of your vessel you should observe a celestial body on which bearing?

🔍 Key Concepts

• Speed by bearings method with a celestial body • Effect of your course line versus the bearing used • Difference between checking speed and checking compass error

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: when checking speed by observing a body, do you want its bearing to change quickly or stay nearly constant as you move? • Think about the relative direction of the body: should it be more off your bow, on your beam, or near your stern to best measure speed along your track? • How is the bearing of an object related to whether your motion is mostly toward/away from it or sideways to it?

✅ Before You Answer

• Compare each answer’s bearing to your course of 146°T and note which is most nearly at right angles to your course line • Recall that for speed along track, you want the body positioned so that your movement across the line of sight gives you useful timing information • Verify you are not confusing a bearing used to check compass error (nearly ahead/astern) with a bearing used to check speed (relative to your course)