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Spheroidal Sailing and the Middle Latitude

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2010

D. H. Sadler
Affiliation:
(H.M. Nautical Almanac Office)

Extract

The standard formulae, assuming a spherical Earth, for converting distance on a rhumb-line track into differences of latitude and longitude are:

where C is the course and α is known as the middle latitude. It is approximately the mean latitude when both points are on the same side of the equator; tables of the correction to be applied to the mean latitude to give the middle latitude are given in most collections of nautical tables.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 1956

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References

REFERENCES

1Williams, J. E. D. (1950). Loxodromic distances on the terrestrial spheroid. This Journal, 3, 133.Google Scholar
2Tyrrell, A. J. R. (and others) (1955). Navigating on the spheroid. This Journal (Forum), 8, 366.Google Scholar
3Smart, W. M. (1946). On a problem in navigation. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 106, 124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4International Hydrographic Bureau (1928). Table of Meridional Parts… Special Publication No. 21.Google Scholar