On 15 October your 0300 zone time DR position is LAT 27° 14' S, LONG 99° 46' E. You are on course 128° T at a speed of 19 knots. Considering their magnitude, azimuth, and altitude, which group includes the three bodies best suited for a fix at star time?
• Star time sights near local sidereal time when Aries is on the meridian • Using bodies with good azimuth spread (ideally 60°–120° apart) and altitude between about 20° and 70° • Choosing bodies that are bright enough (magnitude) and well placed for your latitude and time of night
• From a position about 27° S, which stars/planets listed would likely be high enough above the horizon around 0300 local time in mid‑October? • Looking at each group, do the three bodies give you a wide spread of bearings (not all in the same general direction of the sky)? • Which group combines one or more very bright objects with two other well‑placed stars that are not all clustered near the same azimuth or close to the horizon?
• Check that each body in the chosen group would be above your visible horizon at that date, time, and latitude. • Verify that the azimuths of the three bodies are well separated, not all to one side of the vessel. • Confirm that the altitudes are within a practical range (not too low – under ~15° – and not near the zenith).
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