Celestial Navigation
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: January 17, 1988
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 110
ISBN-13: 9780393302943
First sentence: Celestial navigation is very similar to coastal navigation.
Description: To the uninitiated, celestial navigation appears to be a somewhat frightening exercise in mathematics.
In fact, the maximum mathematics involved in the new sight reduction systems is the addition of three lines of figures. Similarly, the apparent complexities of the solar and stellar systems take on a less frightening appearance when related to the lighthouses and similar earthly objects used for coastal navigation. Throughout this book, the author uses such a comparison between earthly and heavenly objects in explaining the close relationship between coastal and celestial navigation. In doing so, he reduces a complex subject to a simple and interesting one that can be absorbed by even the most non-mathematically minded. The book concentrates for much of its length on the plotting of the boat's position by sun, planets, and stars when out of sight of land. It also deals with related navigational routines such as checking the compass by using heavenly objects, taking radio time signals, and adjusting the sextant for day-to-day corrections. This is celestial navigation in its simplest form, presented in a way which even the most amateur navigator can understand and absorb.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: INTRODUCTION TO CELESTIAL NAVIGATION
label: 1; title: The instruments - the calculations - the plots - the fixes - the navigator's day - geographical position - altitudes - circles of equal altitudes - azimuths - DR - the heavenly bodies - the universe - galaxies - planets - moon - the solar system - meteors - magnitude; title: THE SEXTANT AND CHRONOMETER
label: 2; title: Principle of the sextant - parts of the sextant - holding - rocking - sighting - taking the sight - 'letting her rise' - 'bringing her down' - timing the sight - chronometers - rating - radio time signals; title: ERRORS AND CORRECTIONS
label: 3; title: Sextant errors: index error - allowing IE - side error - error of perpendicularity - mirror adjustments - sight errors: dip - altitude correction - sextant altitudes - observed altitudes - apparent altitudes - true altitudes - Ho; title: ESTIMATED POSITION AND DEAD RECKONING
label: 4; title: EP by chart plotting - EP by calculation - traverse tables - DLat - DLo - Dep - method of calculation; title: THE CELESTIAL GLOBE
label: 5; title: Declination - GHA - LHA -Ares - SHA - hour angle diagram - time - time and longitude - meridian passage of the sun - noon - the 24-hour clock; title: THE TABLES
label: 6; title: The sight form - The Nautical Almanac - The Sight Reduction Tables - methods - Tab values - chosen Lat and Long - sight reduction factors Hc, d, Z - interpolation tables; title: THE COMPUTATIONS
label: 7; title: Sight reduction method - form - full working sections I, II, III, IV - intercept and azimuth - noon sight; full working - use of the sun, planets, stars; title: PLOTTING
label: 8; title: Mercator plotting sheets - DR position - chosen position - single position line - full star plot - celestial running fix - set and drift; title: OTHER CELESTIAL WORK
label: 9; title: Latitude by ex-meridian reduction - latitude by Polaris - the Pole Star tables - compass checking by heavenly bodies - sunset and sunrise tables - twilight; title: STAR IDENTIFICATION
label: 10; title: Movement of stars - the constellations - The Plow or Big Dipper - Orion - Canis Major - Taurus - The Spanker - The Scorpion - The Southers Cross - Star charts - making a 'personal' star chart - pre-computation