Course description

Celestial Navigation is the practice of determining a vessel’s position using celestial bodies like the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars. It involves measuring their angles above the horizon with a sextant and calculating latitude and longitude using nautical almanacs and mathematical formulas.

This traditional navigation method has been used for centuries by sailors and aviators, providing a reliable backup to modern GPS systems. Despite technological advancements, celestial navigation remains essential for long voyages, emergency navigation, and understanding fundamental navigation principles.

What will i learn?

• comprehend the basic Geodesy issues of navigational interest
• realize the correspondence between the coordinates on the celestial sphere and on earth
• explain the apparent motion of the celestial sphere
• acquire position lines on the surface of the earth using observations of celestial bodies
• compute the compass’s error using observations of celestial bodies
• calculate the difference between rhumb line and great circle sailing
• Students should understand the Celestial Navigation and apply it properly.
• To understand the applications of fundamentals of Celestial Navigation in nautical science.