Celestial Navigation

• Introduction
  
• Celestial Navigation in the GPS age
  
  
• History of Celestial Navigation
  
  
• Terms and Conventions
    The Celestial Sphere
    The Zenith
    The Geographical Position of a Celestial Object
  
  
• Basic Instruments for Celestial Navigation
    The Sextant
    Sextant handling for Altitude Measurements
    Corrections on Sextant Measurements
  
    The Chronometer
  
  
• Celestial Navigation
    Principle of Celestial Navigation
    The Sumner Line-of-Position
    The Altitude-Intercept Method of St. Hilaire
  
  
• Time
    Time and the Longitude Problem
    Solar Time and Mean Solar Time
    Universal Time (UT) and Atomic Time (TAI)
    Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)
    Time Zones
    International Date Line
  
  
• Solar System Ephemeris
    Long-Term Ephemerides for the Sun
  
  
• The Nautical Almanac
    Nautical Almanac Tables for the Sun
    Nautical Almanac Tables for the Moon
    Nautical Almanac Tables for Venus
    Nautical Almanac Tables for Mars
    Nautical Almanac Tables for Jupiter
    Nautical Almanac Tables for Saturn
  
  
• Correction Tables for Sextant Altitudes
    Correction Table for Dip
    Correction Table for Refraction
    Tables for Parallax Correction
    Tables for combined Parallax - Semi-Diameter Correction
  
  
• Interpolation and Conversion Tables for Celestial Navigation
  
• Time - Hour-Angle Conversion Table
  
  
• Sight Reduction Techniques
    Sight Reduction Tables with pre-calculated Altitude-Azimuth values
    Tables for performing Sight Reduction according to A. A. Ageton
    Slide Ruler for performing Sight Reduction according to L. C. Bygrave
    Sight Reduction as proposed by R. Doniol
  
  Sight Reduction with Haversine Tables


• Line of Position: Worksheets and Instruction Set
  
• Worked-out Examples
  
  
• Special Techniques
    Latitude by Polaris
    Noon Sight
    Rise and Set Times of Celestial Objects
    Compass Check with pre-calculated Azimuth Angles
    Chronometer Check with Celestial Observations
    Emergency Celestial Navigation
    Artificial Horizon
    Lunar Distance
  
  
• Interactive Applications for Celestial Navigation and Observations
    Calculating Position from two observed Altitudes
    Altitude and Azimuth of a Celestial Body for an Assumed Position
    Altitude and Azimuth of the Sun for a given Time and Location
    Altitude and Azimuth of the Moon for a given Time and Location
    Rise- and Set-Times of the Sun and the Moon
  
  
• Glossary to Celestial Navigation
  
  
• Compiled Manuals - Download Section