DEPARTMENT OF SURVEYING SCIENCE AND GEOMATICS

FACULTY OF ARCHITECRURE, PLANNING AND SURVEYING,

UITM MALAYSIA SHAH ALAM SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN

BACHELOR OF SURVEYING SCIENCE AND GEOMATICS (HONOURS) – AP220

GLS 457: FIELD ASTRONOMY

Title: SOLAR OBSERVATION

Due: 26 DECEMBER 2016

PREPARED BY:

NAME/UiTM
No. MARKS/COMMENTS
No.

MUHAMMAD
1 FA’IZ BIN MAT
SABRI
(2015145903)

PREPARED FOR:

ASSOC. PROF. SR. DR. AZMAN BIN MOHD SULDI

 INTRODUCTION

For this practical, we are divided into group and every each of group have two person
and we have to complete a solar observation in fifteen set each person so that every each of one
group we have to do solar observation thirty set of solar observation. We start our practical since
second week of September until Week 14 for study month in December. First of all, Solar
Observation is a one of the technique to determine the true azimuth of survey line. Solar
observation also are particularly used in Cadastral Surveying and Engineering Surveying where
traverses are involved at the site. Solar Observation also is required when the traverses reached
up to 25 stations or when adopted bearing were used as starting a traverse. The appropriate time
to do solar observations is early morning and late evening but my lecturer provided we do solar
observation in early morning because calculation for evening are not same which is for calculate
azimuth we have to minus 360°. During noon, the azimuth and altitude rapidly changes which
makes it difficult to observe. When the sun is too low in altitude, refraction in the atmosphere
causes accurate targeting not possible. The best altitude for Malaysia that provided by Jabatan
Ukur dan Pemetaan Malaysia (JUPEM) is when the altitude of the sun between 10 until 30
degrees.
 INSTRUMENTS

Equipment that we used to do the practical are:-

Equipment and Instruments

1)EDM/Total station

2) Sunglass

3) Tripod
 METHOD

1. Carry out temporary adjustment of a theodolite at the observation station with face left
condition.

2. Open the lower plate main screw and swing the telescope to bisect the reference object. Fix
the lower plate main screw and bisect accurately using the lower plate tangent screw. Note down
the horizontal circle reading.

3. Swing the telescope by opening the upper plate main screw. Bring the image of the sun into
the upper left quadrant of the diaphragm. Close the upper plate main screw and then bring the
vertical hair tangent to right limb of the sun using the upper plate tangent screw. As soon as the
lower limb of the sun makes contact with the horizontal hair, the chronometer time is recorded.
Note down the horizontal (as well as vertical, if altitude of the sun is required to be observed)
circle readings.

4. Next, bring the image of the sun into lower right quadrant using the upper and vertical plate
tangent screws. The vertical hair is kept in tangent to left limb of the sun using by the upper plate
tangent screw. As soon as the upper limb of the sun makes contact with the horizontal hair, the
chronometer time is recorded. Note down the horizontal (as well as vertical, if altitude of the sun
is required to be observed) circle readings.

5. Open the upper plate main screw and swing back the telescope to the reference object. Close
the upper plate main screw and bisect the reference object. Note down the horizontal circle
reading.

6. Change the face left of the instrument into the face right condition and repeat step 2 with the
instrument in face right condition.

7. Swing the telescope by opening the upper plate main screw. Bring the image of the sun into
the upper right quadrant of the diaphragm. Close the upper plate main screw and then bring the
vertical hair tangent to left limb of the sun using the upper plate tangent screw. As soon as the
lower limb of the sun makes contact with the horizontal hair, the chronometer time is recorded.
Note down the horizontal (as well as vertical, if altitude of the sun is required to be observed)
circle readings.
8. Next, bring the image of the sun into lower left quadrant using the upper and vertical plate
tangent screws. The vertical hair is kept in tangent to right limb of the sun using the upper plate
tangent screw. As soon as the upper limb of the sun makes contact with the horizontal hair, the
chronometer time is recorded. Note down the horizontal (as well as vertical, if altitude of the sun
is required to be observed) circle readings.

9. Repeat step 5.

Thus, a set of observation is to be taken. It consists of four instants of time and four
horizontal circle readings (and four vertical circle readings). An azimuth of the line AZL should
be computed for each pointing on the sun. For any field observation, it may consist of one or
more sets, but a minimum of three sets is recommended Among all the celestial bodies, the sun
is the most prominent body that can be observed easily and accurately. Thus, the sun observation
provides surveyors a convenient method for determination of astronomic azimuth. In the hour-
angle method, a horizontal angle from a line to the sun is measured. Knowing accurate time of
the observation and geographic position of the observation station, the sun's azimuth is
computed using the relations of astronomical triangle. The sun is observed through the telescope
fitted with either an eyepiece sun glass or an objective lens filter. For total stations, an objective
lens filter is mandatory (to protect EDMI components). It is to be noted that the sun's image is
large in diameter-approximately 32 min of arc-making accurate pointing on the center
impractical. Thus, in lieu of pointing the centre, observation to the sun are usually taken with the
edges tangential to both the horizontal and vertical cross hairs. It is usually achieved by allowing
sun's trailing edge to move onto the vertical cross hair or the leading edge is pointed by moving
the vertical cross hair forward, until it becomes tangent to the sun's image.
CALCULATION FOR

SOLAR OBSERVATION
 TABLE OF SUMMARY OF AZIMUTH

SET DATE AZIMUTH 1 AZIMUTH 2 MEAN DIFFERENT REMARKS

AZIMUTH IN
AZIMUTH
1 27/10/2016 149°48’28” 149°48’21” 149°48’25” 00°00’04”

2 10/11/2016 149°49’20” 149°49’14” 149°49’17” 00°00’03”

3 10/11/2016 149°49’05” 149°49’08” 149°49’06” 00°00’02”

4 15/11/2016 151°18’09” 151°18’15” 151°18’12” 00°00’06”

5 19/11/2016 135°23’25” 135°23’29” 135°23’37” 00°00’04”

6 19/11/2016 136°30’04” 136°30’11” 136°30’08” 00°00’03”

7 6/12/2016 139°34’14” 139°34’17” 139°34’16” 00°00’03”

8 6/12/2016 149°34’23” 149°34’29” 149°34’26” 00°00’06”

9 6/12/2016 149°48’41” 149°48’50” 149°48’46” 00°00’09”

10 15/12/2016 149°47’29” 149°47’20” 149°47’25” 00°00’09”

11 15/12/2016 149°44’03” 149°44’10” 149°44’07” 00°00’03”

12 22/12/2016 149°48’15” 149°48’24” 149°48’19” 00°00’09”

13 22/12/2016 149°48’09” 149°48’15” 149°48’12” 00°00’06”

14 22/12/2016 149°46’13” 149°46’18” 149°46’18” 00°00’05”

15 22/12/2016 149°48’15” 149°48’24” 149°48’19” 00°00’09”

 15 SETS OF

SOLAR OBSERVATION
Picture 1: Survey Point that we used in Solar Observation’s practical

Picture 2: Place that we used in Solar Observation

Picture 3: Balancing a Total Station work

Picture 4: Me and my teammates