Question 1429Navigation General

A) along the celestial equator at 15° per hour is the correct answer. The mean sun, which is used as the reference point for standard time, moves along the celestial equator at a rate of 15 degrees per hour. This is because the Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, covering 360 degrees, which equates to 15 degrees per hour. The other options are incorrect because the mean sun does not move along the ecliptic (the path of the Sun around the Earth) at a rate of 15 degrees per day or per hour, and it does not move along the celestial equator at a rate of 15 degrees per day.