How many degrees does each side light on a vessel cover?

Each side light on a vessel covers 112.5 degrees of the horizon. This is crucial for navigation and safe boating practices, as these lights help other vessels identify the direction in which a boat is heading, especially during nighttime or low visibility conditions.

The 112.5-degree coverage allows the side lights to effectively communicate a boat's orientation by lighting up a substantial area of the sides, ensuring that other vessels can see them from various angles. This visual signal is part of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), which standardizes navigation practices to enhance safety on the water.

In contrast, the other options either under-represent or over-represent the angle covered by each side light, which could potentially lead to confusion in determining a vessel's position and heading at night or in poor visibility. Understanding these angles is essential for operators to recognize and interpret navigation lights correctly as part of their responsibilities under the rules of the water.