A Quantitative Study of the Nocturnal Migration of BirdsLowery, George H., Jr.
Science
A Quantitative Study of the Nocturnal Migration of Birds
Lowery, George H., Jr.
Birds -- Migration
[Illustration: FIG. 18. Form used in the computation of the
zenith distance and azimuth of the moon.]
The angle [eta] for any sector boundary can be found immediately by
measuring its position in the diagram (Figure 16). The form (Figure 18)
for the "Computation of Zenith Distance and Azimuth of the Moon"
illustrates the steps in calculating the values of Z_{0} and [psi]_{0}.
From the American Air Almanac (Anonymous, 1945-1948), issued annually
by the U. S. Naval Observatory in three volumes, each covering four
months of the year, the Greenwich Hour Angle (GHA) and the declination
of the moon may be obtained for any ten-minute interval of the date in
question. The Local Hour Angle (LHA) of the observation station is
determined by subtracting the longitude of the station from the GHA.
Reference is then made to the "Tables of Computed Altitude and Azimuth,"
published by the U. S. Navy Department, Hydrographic Office (Anonymous,
1936-1941), and better known as the "H.O. 214," to locate the altitude
and azimuth of the moon at the particular station for the middle of the
hour during which the observations were made. The tables employ three
variables--the latitude of the locality measured to the nearest degree,
the LHA as determined above, and the declination of the moon measured
to the nearest 30 minutes of arc. Interpolations can be made, but this
exactness is not required. When the latitude of the observation
station is in the northern hemisphere, the H.O. 214 tables entitled
"Declinations Contrary Name to Latitude" are used with south
declinations of the moon, and the tables "Declinations Same Name as
Latitude," with north declinations. In the sample shown in Figure 15,
the declination of the moon at 11:30 P. M., midway through the 11 to
12 o'clock interval, was S 20° 22´. Since the latitude of Progreso,
Yucatán is N 21° 17´, the "Contrary Name" tables apply to this hour.
Because the H.O. 214 expresses the vertical position of the moon in
terms of its altitude, instead of its zenith distance, a conversion is
required. The former is the number of arc degrees from the horizon to
the moon's center; therefore Z_{0} is readily obtained by subtracting
the altitude from 90°. Moreover, the azimuth given in the H.O. 214 is
measured on a 360° scale from the north point, whereas the azimuth
used here ([psi]_{0}) is measured 180° in either direction from the south
point, negative values to the east, positive values to the west. I
have designated the azimuth of the tables as Az_{n} and obtained the
desired azimuth ([psi]_{0}) by subtracting 180° from Az_{n}. The sign
of [psi]_{0} may be either positive or negative, depending on whether
or not the moon has reached its zenith and hence the meridian of the
observer. When the GHA is greater than the local longitude (that is,
the longitude of the observation station), the azimuth is positive.
When the GHA is less than the local longitude, the azimuth is
negative.
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