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← HistoryWhich navigational error increases when utilizing a sextant from a ship experiencing heavy rolling?
A)Increased parallax error in celestial observations
B)Reduced accuracy of the chronometer time readings
C)Greater uncertainty in the local vertical position✓
D)Overestimation of the ship's magnetic deviation
💡 Explanation
When a ship rolls heavily, accurately determining the true horizon line with a sextant using its mirrors becomes difficult because instability of the local vertical due to motion increases observational error. Therefore, the uncertainty in the vertical position increases rather than parallax, chronometer errors, or magnetic deviation, which stem from independent sources.
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