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Latitude Distance north or south of the equator
Longitude Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees
Prime Meridian 0 degrees longitude
England
International Date Line the imaginary line that separates two consecutive calendar days
sits on 180 degrees longitude
great circle If a plane intersects the exact center of a sphere, then a "great circle" is
produced
-"great" means that the circle will be the largest possible, essentially cutting the sphere in half.
small circle One whose plane does not pass through the center of the sphere, occurs on the
surface
, SDSU Oceans 100 Practical 1 Questions With
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nautical mile one "arc minute" of distance along any great circle at sea level over the
Earth's surface.
=1.852 kilometers
arc minute 1/60th of a degree
Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) -time at the prime meridian
-1600 o'clock
North Star (Polaris) This star has been used through historical time for navigation and
orienting to the north
-is aligned above the Earth's axis of rotation at the north pole
sextant a device for a precise measurement of the angle from a celestial (in the sky) body
and the Earth's horizon.