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• So the two signals form a hyperbola based on the difference of time between
receiving it from the ship. As long as it has that specific difference, which is more or
less accurate, then a ship can find its path. More than two are used to find its location
CELESTIAL NAVIGATION
Theory, Navigational Astronomy,
The Practice
WHAT IS THE THEORY?
• The basic theory behind Celestial Navigation is that we find our unknown position
from a known position.
• If we have some information we can deduce the rest.
FIND THE SUN
• Completely dependent on
observer.
• You measure hs to start the
process of finding your
location
ECLIPTIC COORDINATE SYSTEM
• It all starts with Geographic Position (GP). Imagine a string that stretches from the
center of the earth to the center of the celestial body. GP is the point the line passes
thru the earths surface. This point has a location that can be referenced several
ways…
HOUR ANGLE
REMEMBER TIME = DISTANCE
• M – Observers Meridian
• G – Greenwich Meridian
• SHA – Angular distance of a body
westward from the first point of Aries (0-
360)
• RA – Angular distance of body eastward
from the first point of Aries: in time units
(0-24 hrs.)
• GHA – GP’s distance from Greenwich
Meridian (Degree, Min:Sec)
• LHA – GP’s distance west from the
meridian you are located on (Degree,
Min:Sec)
• The Nautical Almanac gives us the GHA of the sun and the moon
for every day, hour and minute of the year.
• For the stars it gives the SHA, which we can then convert, and
worksheets help us figure the LHA by using our longitude.
THE PRACTICE
TAKING THE SIGHT
• Setting up
• Shooting body and noting exact time corrected for watch error and east or
west of Greenwich meridian.
• Correcting for sextant error, height of eye and altitude giving Observed
Altitude.
• Entering body’s data for same time from the Nautical Almanac, apply
corrections.
• Entering tables for sight reduction with:
• Local Hour Angle (LHA)
• Assumed Latitude
• Body's declination (from Almanac) to find the calculated height if you were where you
assumed yourself to be
• This will give you the CALCULATED ALTITUDE as well as the true bearing of the body
NAVIGATIONAL TRIANGLE AKA SPHERICAL
TRIGONOMETRY
• For a given date and time
you know.
• AP - Your assumed position
• GP – Celestials Bodies
position
1. Observed altitude of the Body above the celestial horizon. Measure it with
a sextant (hs), and then apply relevant corrections to get Ho.
2. Latitude and longitude of your assumed position (AP).
3. Precise time of the sextant altitude measurement, in order to calculate Hc
and Zn for the nearby assumed position (AP).
4. Computed altitude (Hc) of the Body as if observed from the AP at the time
of the sextant sight. Requires Almanac ephemerides.
5. Bearing of the Body (azimuth). Azimuth can only be determined for the AP,
not for the vessel's real position; so the navigator needs to be precise about
the time of the sextant altitude, and have confidence in the AP. Requires
Almanac ephemerides.
#1 comes from the sextant sighting, and Almanac data for the date and time
#2 comes from the DR plotting
#3 comes from a timepiece simultaneous to #1.
#4 and #5 come from calculations to solve the navigational triangle with
corners GP, AP and nearest Pole, using #2, #3 and Almanac data.
SINGLE LOP
• Blue line: dead reckoning course.
• Blue half circle/dot: dead reckoning position at
the time you took your sight.
• Red solid line: azimuth bearing toward the GP
of the body (southwest).
• Red dashed line: extension of the azimuth
bearing "away", because in this case the
calculated sextant altitude for the DR position
was larger than the sextant altitude you
observed.
• Green line: the celestial LOP, perpendicular to
the azimuth. Your boat is somewhere on that
green line. This celestial LOP actually is a tiny
segment of the gigantic circle of position around
the GP; at any point on that circle at that precise
moment in time you would find the same sextant
altitude.
• Black box: your Estimated Position; also the
intercept.
• Advance position to new EP. Start new DR line
from this fix
TIMELINE OF NAVIGATION
KAMAL, ASTROLABE
CROSS-STAFF, BACKSTAFF
OCTANT, SEXTANT
HOW THE SEXTANT WORKS
MEASUREMENT WITHOUT HORIZON
REFERENCES
• www.celestialnavigation.net
• Jim Thompson MD CCFP(EM) FCPP: www.jimthompson.net
• Celestial Navigation for Yachtsman, Mary Blewitt, 1995
• Peter Ifland, Ph. D. in Biochemistry (U. of Texas)
Commander in the US Naval Reserve
Author of Taking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from Argonauts to Astronauts, The Mariners'
Museum, Newport News, Virginia, 1998
www.mat.uc.pt/~helios/Mestre/Novemb00/H61iflan.htm
• BobGraham@longcamp.com,www.longcamp.com
• American Practical Navigator, Bowditch, Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic/Topographic
Center, 1995
• Longitude, Dava Sobel, 1995