DICTIONARY OF

Soft Iron 319 Solstitial Colure
Soft Iron. Iron, or ferrous alloy, that becomes magnetic when in a magnetic field but loses
its magnetism when removed from the field.
Soft Laid. Said of rope or yarn that has been rather loosely laid up to gain flexibility and
grip.
Soft Tack. Fresh bread.
Solan Goose. Solent Goose. Gannet. Sea bird with blue face, greyish-white bill, white
plumage with some black in it. Head and neck are buff. Overall length is about three feet.
Large numbers are to be seen in Firth of Forth - especially Bass Rock - and in Baltic.
Solano. Easterly rain-wind in Straits of Gibraltar and on SE coast of Spain.
Solar. Pertaining to the Sun.
Solar Constant. Deduced value of Sun's radiation at upper boundary of Earth's atmosphere.
Is expressed as 1.94 calories per square centimetre per second.
Solar Constituent. That part of a tidal undulation that is due to the tractive effort of the Sun.
Solar Cycle. Period of 28 years, after which days of the week fall on same dates in the
month.
Solar Day. Interval between successive transits of Sun (true or mean) across a particular
meridian.
Solar Eclipse. Eclipse of Sun.
Solar Month. Interval in which Sun passes through a sign of the Zodiac.
Solar System. Sun, nine planets with their satellites, the asteroids, periodic comets, and
meteors.
Solar Time. Time measured by hour angle of either the Mean or True Sun.
Solar Year. Tropical Year.'
Soldier's Wind. Wind with a direction that allows a vessel to sail out and return on one tack
each way. 2. Sometimes said of a wind that allows a vessel to go from one point to another
on one tack - but this is a 'fair' wind.
Sole. Piece attached to lower edge of a rudder to bring it to level of a false keel. 2. Bottom
part of a launching cradle.
Solid Thimble. Metal block, with small circular hole, inserted in eye of a wire rope when
maximum strength is required.
Solitary Wave. High and lone wave that is out of all proportion to the prevailing sea.
Generally produced by a wave that has moved fast before a wind, and overtaken smaller
waves under its lee. By absorbing these, its size increases rapidly.
Solstice. Either of the two points in Ecliptic that are most remote from plane of Equinoctial.
At these points Sun appears to stand still in declination for an appreciable time.
Solstitial Colure. Hour circle passing through solstitial points. Contains poles of Equinoctial
and Ecliptic.