You are on a great circle track departing from position LAT 25°50'N, LONG 77°00'W. The position of the vertex is LAT 37°35.6'N, LONG 25°57.8'W. The distance along the great circle track from the vertex to a point (X) is 600 miles westward. Determine the position of point (X) on the great circle track.
• Great circle sailing and how distance from the vertex relates to changes in latitude and longitude • Relationship between difference of longitude (DLo) and middle latitude on a great circle segment near the vertex • How latitude changes symmetrically on either side of the vertex latitude
• From the vertex, if you move 600 miles along the great circle, will your latitude be higher, lower, or the same as the vertex latitude? Think about the shape of a great circle on a Mercator chart. • Which direction (east or west) are you moving from the vertex, and how should that affect the sign of the longitude change? • Among the choices, which latitude is most consistent with being 600 miles away from the vertex on the descending side of a North Atlantic great circle route?
• Compare each choice’s latitude with the vertex latitude 37°35.6'N and decide if it makes sense for a point 600 miles away along the descending side of the great circle. • Estimate roughly how many degrees of latitude correspond to 600 NM (using 60 NM ≈ 1° of latitude) and see which answers have a realistic latitude change. • Check the longitude direction: from 25°57.8'W, after going 600 miles westward along the great circle, should the longitude number be larger or smaller? Eliminate options that don’t match this trend.
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