How many number of Stars required to find ship’s position ?

The minimum number of stars required to obtain a reliable position

• A minimum of three stars to be used to get a good angle of cut.
• The stars should be well spread around the horizon, and hence, the fix will be inside the cocked hat; otherwise, the position will be outside the cocked hat.
• Altitudes of the stars should be between 30-60 degrees for a good fix, and where possible, with approximately the same altitude.
• Generally, four stars are preferred, if possible, 90 degrees apart in azimuth, because any error due to abnormal refraction will be eliminated by using opposite horizons.

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