The Complete On-Board Celestial Navigator, 2007-2011 Edition: Everything But the Sextant

by George C. Bennett

Overview

Your All-in-One Navigation Tool Kit

Celestial navigation remains an essential skill for every mariner who ventures out of sight of land. In this era of electronic navigation, it is the perfect backup system, enabling you to determine your position when the GPS malfunctions or your boat loses electrical power.

Here in one volume is every bit of information you need to understand the process, take sights, and find your location anywhere in the world. Compiled for beginning and experienced celestial navigators alike, and elegantly designed on the assumption that 1-mile precision is perfectly adequate for backup navigation, this handy volume replaces $300 worth and thousands of pages of guides, tables, and almanacs.

The Complete On-Board Celestial Navigator includes:

• A clear, concise primer/refresher that explains the entire process
• A five-year nautical almanac (2007–2011) for determining precise star, sun, moon, and planet locations at the time of sighting
• A star finder
• Sight reduction tables for crunching the numbers and producing a fix anywhere in the world

"The only complete self-contained work available. When your electronic navigation fails, 'steering by the stars' will guide you safely to your destination."—Sydney Afloat (Australia)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071818629
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	12/25/2006
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	92 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Dr. George G. Bennett owns and directs CNSystems, which produces navigational calculator and computer software. He has navigated boats in a number of major ocean races, received numerous honors, and taught navigation for 20 years.

Table of Contents

Part One: How to Work a Sight—An Overview How To Work a Sight—An Overview 1 Introduction 2 Scope and Contents 3 Equipment 3.1 Sextant Perpendicularity Error Side Error Index Error 3.2 Clocks 4 Almanac Data 4.1 Stars and Aries 4.2 Sun and Planets 4.3 Moon 4.4 Summary 4.5 Alternative Interpolation Method 5 Planning and Observations 5.1 Planning 5.2 Sextant Observations 5.3 Identification 5.4 Observation Methods 5.5 Sunrise, Sunset, and Twilight 6 Sextant Altitude Corrections 6.1 Dip Correction 6.2 Index Correction 6.3 Star and Planet Corrections 6.4 Sun Correction 6.5 Moon Correction 6.6 Summary 7 The Marcq St. Hilaire Method 7.1 Intercept 7.2 Azimuth Azimuth Tables Weir Diagrams 7.3 The Position Fix 8 Amplitudes 9 Polaris 9.1 Azimuth 9.2 Latitude 10 Sun Observations 10.1 Running Fixes 10.2 Meridian Observations 11 Sight Reduction at Very Low Altitudes Part Two: Tables, Examples, and Forms Constants and Formulas GHA Aries and Star Ephemerides Sun and Planet Ephemerides Sun and Planet Interpolation and Altitude Corrections Moon Ephemerides Moon Declination Interpolation Moon (GHA-GMT) Interpolation Moon Altitude Corrections Sextant Altitude Analysis Example Prediction and Identification LAT of Sunrise and Sunset LAT of Civil Twilight Sight Reduction Tables Azimuth Tables Weir Diagrams Polaris (Latitude and Azimuth) Change of Altitude in 5 Minutes of Time Sight Reduction Example: Stars, Planet, and Moon Running Fix Example: Sun Alternative Interpolation Table (Calculator) Form: Sextant Altitude Analysis Form: Sight Reduction Form: Sight Reduction (Plot) The Navigational Stars Index Conversion of Time to Arc