Selecting the best Stars or Planets for a fix
To make a list of stars and planets available for observation at morning or evening twilight for a fix, you would setup the starfinder with LHA Aries and have the planets plotted. Then use the following guide lines for selection.
Altitude - 10° to 65°
1st magnitude
Bearing - 120° apart
Always try to get Polaris, it gives latitude line of position if you are in the northern hemisphere, and any body who has a bearing of 000 or 180° will do the same thing. To check your course, select bodies with bearings perpendicular to your course.
To check your speed, select bodies that are parallel to your course.
Take what you can get,there is no real hard, concrete rules.
STEP 1
Compute the ZT of evening twilight or star time, use this DR position for your form.
STEP 2
Compute the LHA ARIES and the RA and Dec of the planets.
STEP 3
Plot the planets on your starfinder, and then place your blue template over the star base on your LHA ARIES. This will be the stars & planets available at star time.
STEP 4 Find the best answer, I use a diagram to help me locate the answers
