Celestial Navigation

Index1) Admiralty Notices to Mariners2) Mariner’s Handbook (NP 100)3) Catalogue of Admiralty Charts and Publications (NP 131)4) Sailing Directions5) Ship’s Routeing Information6) Ocean passages for the world7) Admiralty List of…

Some important definitions: Rhumb line: is a line on the earth’s surface, crossing all meridians at the same angle. It is the most convenient track to follow as the course…

Mercator charts have been described in the module for chart projections. Here, we will shortly discuss some principles involved in the construction of the mercator chart and then learn the…

1) Introduction In this module we will learn about the effect of wind and current on navigation and how to counteract the same. Winds, currents and hence their effects are…

To measure the distance between, for example, these two oil rigs in the figure, we will need a set of dividers. It is very important to note that we can…

The amplitude of a body is the angle at the observer's zenith or the arc of his rational horizon contained between the observer's prime vertical, and the vertical circle through…

Identify a heavenly body whose azimuth you want to take. Ensure that the altitude is not too high or too low (preferably between 20o and 60o Take the compass bearing…

In open seas, heavenly bodies are used to determine the compass error. Watch keepers must calculate compass error at least once every watch and after every major alteration of course.…

Azimuth circle -Azimuth circle is a non magnetic metal ring equipped with sighting devices for observing bearings of objects (celestial bodies, terrestrial bodies, targets, vessels, etc). It consists of a…

Description1) IntroductionIn earlier days when electronic navigation was not available, navigation in the open sea was solely done using sun and stars to plot the ship's position. Constellations were identified…