How do I solve 26 across in Times Cryptic 29541?

Question

Accepted Answer

26 across reads "Extreme characters and I articulate loveless feature of star’s position" (7 letters); the answer is AZIMUTH. It's a deletion clue: start with a word the clue points to, then drop one or more letters. Indicators include 'endlessly' (lose the last letter), 'beheaded' (lose the first), or 'heartlessly' (lose the middle). The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

Extreme characters and I articulate loveless feature of star’s position (7)

26A — Extreme characters and I articulate loveless feature of star’s position (7) — AZIMUTH