QUADRANT. 



A TABLE OF THE REFRACTION OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES, 



TO BE SUBTRACT?.!) FROM THK OBSERVED LATITUDE. 



The latitude of any place is its distance 

 from the equator, either north or south, 

 and never can exceed ninety degrees. It 

 is found by taking the altitude of the sun, 

 or star, above the horizon, with a quadrant, 

 when on the meridian (. e. due north, or 

 south) of the place of observation. The 

 meridian altitude, corrected for the dip of 

 the horizon, and refraction, and sixteen 

 mmutes, the sun's semidiameter added 



thereto, gives the altitude of his centre, 

 which, being subtracted from 90, gives 

 the zenith-distance, or the number of de- 

 grees the centre of the object is from the 

 point over your head ; with which, and 

 knowing how far the object is to the 

 north or south of the equator, which is 

 is called its declination, the latitude is 

 found by the meridian altitude of any ce- 

 lestial object, as follows : 





