TERRESTRIAL NAVIGATION

BSC SEM I
UNIT 6– GREAT CIRCLE AND COMPOSITE SAILING
Great Circle

❑There is only one great circle

through any two points on the
sphere’s surface except if the two
points are at the two ends of a
diameter when an infinite number
of great circles are possible
Small Circle
 Chart projections
• Maps and charts are representations of the Earth’s surface, to a
suitable scale, on a flat surface

Developable surface
 Chart projections

• A projection is said to be orthomorphic, if in the immediate neighbourhood of any

point represented, the scale along the meridian, and along the parallel of latitude
are all equal
 GNOMONIC PROJECTION

From the centre of the Earth, instead

of seeing the features on the inner
surface of cylinder, if you see the
feature on a straight plane tangent to
the Earth at some convenient point, the
charted features are said to be in
gnomonic projection. Distortion is
minimum at tangent & increases with
the distance from tangent point.
GNOMONIC PROJECTION
 Gnomonic chart

• Gnomonic charts are constructed on

gnomonic or tangential projection
• In this projection, all points on the surface of
a sphere are projected from the centre of a
sphere to a plane which is tangential to the
sphere
• The tangent point is usually around the
centre of the area to be represented
 Gnomonic chart
• Distortion is nil at the tangent point and
increases as the distance from tangent point
increases
Gnomonic chart
 Gnomonic chart
PLOTTING GREAT CIRCLE TRACKS

• Positions are then taken off at convenient intervals of

longitude along the track
• These positions are then transferred to a Mercator
chart and and rhumb line courses are laid off
between the successive positions
SPHERICAL TRIANGLE
Spherical triangles
Cosine formula

Sine Formula
 NAPIER RULE FOR RIGHT
SPHERICAL TRIANGLE

sine of the middle part = the product of the tangents of the adjacent angles

sine of the middle part = the product of the cosines of the opposite angles
 NAPIER RULE FOR
quadrantal SPHERICAL
TRIANGLE

sine of the middle part =± the product of the tangents of the adjacent angles

sine of the middle part =± the product of the cosines of the opposite angles
• The calculation of the great circle track between two points A and B
with given latitude and longitude is an exercise in spherical trigonometry.
• The points A and B form a spherical triangle with the North Pole C.
• Each side of this triangle is an arc of a circle centered at the center of the
earth, i.e. a great circle.
• The length of a great-circle arc can be read off immediately from the
corresponding central angle:
• The measurement of the central angle in minutes of arc gives the length
of the arc in nautical miles.
• If we call a, b, c the sides opposite vertices A, B, C, then in this triangle
we know a, b, and C.
• Side a has length 90o minus the latitude of vertex B, and vice-versa.
• The angle C is the difference between the longitudes of A and B. This is
enough information to solve for all the elements of the triangle, in
particular side c (the great-circle distance) and angle A (the initial course).
• Great circle distance

• Final course
 WORKED EXAMPLE I

Solution
WORKED EXAMPLE I
WORKED EXAMPLE I
 WORKED EXAMPLE II
Find the initial and final courses and the distance by great circle track from
A 06º 00’ N 79º 00’ W to B 38º 00’ S 179º E
Notes

Solution
P = Dlong = 102° W
Using cosine formula
Cos AB = Cos PA.Cos PB + Sin PA. Sin PB. Cos P
= Cos 96 . Cos 52 + Sin 96 . Sin 52 . Cos 102
= - 0.06435 -0.16294 = - 0. 22729
AB = (103.14)º
 WORKED EXAMPLE II
Find the initial and final courses and the distance by great circle track from
A 06º 00’ N 79º 00’ W to B 38º 00’ S 179º E

AB = 103.14º = 6188.15 NM
To find Initial Course and Final Course
Cos PB = Cos AB . Cos PA + Sin AB . Sin PA . Cos A
Cos A = (Cos PB – Cos AB . Cos PA) / Sin AB . Sin PA
= (Cos 52 – Cos 103.14. Cos 96)/ Sin 103.14 . Sin 96
= 0.59190 / 0.96848 = 0.611164
A = 52.33°
In co = 180 + 52.33 = 232.33 = 232º 19.8’(T)
 WORKED EXAMPLE II
Find the initial and final courses and the distance by great circle track from
A 06º 00’ N 79º 00’ W to B 38º 00’ S 179º E

AB = 103.14º = 6188.15 NM
To find Final Course
Cos PA = Cos AB . Cos PB + Sin AB . Sin PB . Cos B
Cos B = (Cos PA – Cos AB . Cos PB) / Sin AB . Sin PB
=( Cos 96 - Cos 103.14 . Cos 52) / Sin 103.14 . Sin 52
= {-0.10453 – (- 0.22733) . 0.61566} / 0.97382 . 0.78801
= {- 0.10453 +0.13996} / 0.76738
= 0.04617
B = 87.35º
Fin co = 360° - 87.35 = 272.65º = 272° 38.8’
Vertex
VERTEX
The vertex of a great circle maximum latitude
• Each GC has two vertices , one in each hemisphere and they are 180° apart
• Every GC will intersect the Equator at two points 180° apart
• The d’long between the point where the GC crosses the equator and the vertex of that circle is 90°

• At the vertex, the N-S component is zero while the E-W component is maximum
• The course of the vessel at the vertex is therefore either exactly East or exactly West.
Vertex
VERTEX
VERTEX
 VERTEX
Position of the vertex
❖
inside outside

within
outside
V = 90°
V = 90°
V = 90°
INTERMEDIATE POINTS ON THE GC TRACK
On a GC passage from A 24° 00’N 74º 15’W to B 46° 00’N 53º 45’W,
calculate the position of the vertex

V = 90°
On a GC passage from A 24° 00’N 74º 15’W to B 46° 00’N 53º 45’W,
calculate the position of the vertex

V = 90°

N
N
 WORKED
Find the position of the vertex of the GC track. Also find where the track crosses (a) 85º EXAMPLE
W and (b) 02° N
Notes

Solution
P = Dlong = 102° W
Using cosine formula
Cos AB = Cos PA.Cos PB + Sin PA. Sin PB. Cos P
= Cos (90° + Lat A).Cos (90º - Lat B) + Sin (90 + Lat A). Sin (90º- Lat B). Cos P
= - Sin Lat A. Sin Lat B + Cos Lat A. Cos Lat B. Cos P
= - Sin Lat 6. Sin Lat 38 + Cos Lat 6. Cos Lat 38. Cos 102
Find the initial and final courses and the distance by great circle track from WORKED EXAMPLE
A 06º 00’ N 79º 00’ W to B 38º 00’ S 179º E
Find the position of the vertex of the GC track. Also find where the track
crosses (a) 85º W and (b) 02° N

AB = 103.14º = 6188.15 NM
To find Initial Course and Final Course
Find the initial and final courses and the distance by great circle track from A 06º 00’ N 79º
00’ W to B 38º 00’ S 179º E
WORKED EXAMPLE
Find the position of the vertex of the GC track. Also find where the track crosses (a) 85º W
and (b) 02° N

PV = 51.92º, Lat V = 38.08° S

To find d long from A to V = P
Sin (90º - P) = Tan PV. Tan (90º-PA )= Tan 51.92º . Tan
Sin (90º - P)= Tan 51.92º . Tan (- 6º ) = -0.13414
Cos P = - 0.13414, P = 97.71º =97º 42.5’W, Long of V = 79º + 97º 42.5’
=176º 42.5’W
Find the initial and final courses and the distance by great circle track
from A 06º 00’ N 79º 00’ W to B 38º 00’ S 179º E
WORKED EXAMPLE
Find the position of the vertex of the GC track. Also find where the track
crosses (a) 85º W and (b) 02° N

Lat V = 38.08° S
Long V =176º 42.5’W
Let long 85º W cross VA at M
To find PM
P= d’ long of M from V = 176º 42.5’ - 85º= 91.71º W
Sin(90º - P) = Tan PV. Tan(90º - PM) = Tan 51.92º. Cot PM PV
VM
Cos P = Tan 51.92º. Cot PM,
90-P 90-PMV
Tan PM = Tan 51.92º/ Cos 91.71º =1.27626/ - 0.0298 =
PM = - 88.662º is –ve, PM > 90° 90-PM
PM = 180 - 88.662º = 91.338º , Lat = 1.338 º N = 1º 20.3’ N= Lat where
the GC crosses 85º W
Tan (180º + θ) = Tan θ

Sin (180° - θ) = Sin θ

Find the initial and final courses and the distance by great circle track
from A 06º 00’ N 79º 00’ W to B 38º 00’ S 179º E
WORKED EXAMPLE
Find the position of the vertex of the GC track. Also find where the track
crosses (a) 85º W and (b) 02° N

Lat V = 38.08° S
Long V =176º 42.5’W
Let the GC track cross the Lat 2ºN at N
To find dlong P from V to N
Sin (90º - P) = Tan PV . Tan (90º - PN )
Cos P = Tan 51.92 º . Tan {90º- (90º + Lat N )} PV
VN
Cos P = Tan 51.92 º . Tan (- 2º )= - 1.27626 * 0.03492
90-P 90-PNV
= - 0.04457
P = 92.55º = 92º33.26’ 90-PN
Long of N = 176º 42.5’ - 92º 33.26’ = 84º 9.2’W
 COMPOSITE CIRCLE SAILING

• The GC tracks AV and WB are arcs of two separate great circles

• The leg VW is the arc of a parallel of latitude and is hence not a GC track
• AVWB is hence called a composite track
COMPOSITE CIRCLE SAILING
COMPOSITE CIRCLE SAILING

V = 90°

PV VA

90-P 90-A

90-PA
COMPOSITE CIRCLE SAILING

W= 90°

WB PW

90-B 90-P

90-PB
COMPOSITE CIRCLE SAILING

W= 90°

WB PW PV VA

90-B 90-P 90-P 90-A

90-PB 90-PA
COMPOSITE CIRCLE SAILING

PV VM

90-P 90-M

90-PM
COMPOSITE CIRCLE SAILING

WM’ PW

90-M’ 90-P

90-PM’