Introduction to Celestial Navigation Marion Bermuda Race & Ocean Navigator School of Seamanship Marion, Mass May 20-21st, 2017 This seminar is a hands-on course covering basic celestial theory, sight reduction of sun, moon, planets, stars, and specialty sights of certain bodies, like the noon sun sight and latitude by Polaris. The class covers related topics such as time and time zones, sight planning, sextant accessories and offshore navigation plotting techniques, especially dead reckoning. Practical plotting of each kind of sight, as well as celestial running fixes, is covered in detail. Sextant use is discussed during one session, but no sights actually are taken during the class. The emphasis is on practical use of celestial navigation, with plenty of pencil and paper work. (Up to a dozen sights are reduced and…
Learning celestial navigation at sea offshore with Ocean Navigator is almost here! In early April Rhode Island’s tall ship Oliver Hazard Perry will depart Ft. Lauderdale bound for Bermuda. Perry will sail in conjunction with the Ocean Navigator School of Seamanship and the more than two dozen participants on board will receive celestial navigation and weather training while also sailing a working, 200-foot square-rigged ship. This is a great opportunity to get offshore experience, learn celestial navigation and marine weather while at the same time participating in the sailhandling and watch standing on board a square-rigged sailing vessel. The first leg will start on April 2 in Ft. Lauderdale and end April 12 in Bermuda. The second leg will depart on April 14 and conclude with arrival in Newport, R.I. on April 22. …
There are few things quite as satisfying as fixing your position by measuring the altitude of a few heavenly bodies. With no other landmarks around, stars and planets help to put a face on an otherwise featureless expanse of ocean — they become our friends at sea during the night. Even though there may no longer be a pressing need to use celestial navigation in the age of GPS, it seems a good way to stay in touch with our “friends.” For the recreational navigator, the beauty of celestial navigation often becomes obscured by a maze of numbers and a lack of confidence. In this article, we introduce a few pragmatic tweaks to the old art, putting the focus back on those friendly stars and our sextant. Why not get…
Celestial Navigation: A Complete Home Study Course (Second Edition) by David Burch Starpath Publications March 11, 2015 294 pages e-book 19.99, print $39.00 David Burch, founder of Starpath Navigation School in Seattle, should be a well-known name in the community of celestial navigators. His contribution to the understanding of navigation and marine meteorology extends to classics like Emergency Navigation, Celestial Navigation with the 2102-D Star Finder, Modern Marine Weather, Hawaii by Sextant, and others that should be in the library of every sailor. His latest volume, Celestial Navigation, published by Starpath Publications, is the second edition of a home study course that Burch has created that enables students to learn not just the theory, but the practice of sight reduction and plotting. It is true that there are other books…
Presented by Ocean Navigator School of Seamanship at sea aboard SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, this seminar is a hands-on course covering basic celestial theory, sight reduction of sun, moon, planets, stars, and specialty sights of certain bodies, such as the noon sun sight and latitude by Polaris. The class covers related topics such as time and time zones, sight planning, sextant accessories and offshore navigation plotting techniques, especially dead reckoning. Practical plotting of each kind of sight, as well as celestial running fixes, is covered in detail. Sextant use is discussed during class and sights are taken at sunrise, sunset and during the day as each student’s watch schedule allows. The emphasis is on practical use of celestial navigation, with plenty of pencil and paper work. You will get to…
April 11-12, 2015: This seminar is a hands-on course covering basic celestial theory, sight reduction of sun, moon, planets, stars and specialty sights such as the noon sun sight and latitude by Polaris. The class covers related topics such as time and time zones, sight planning, sextant accessories and offshore navigation plotting techniques, especially dead reckoning. Practical plotting of each kind of sight, as well as celestial running fixes, is covered in detail. Sextant use is discussed during one session but no sights actually are taken during the class. The emphasis is on practical use of celestial navigation, with plenty of pencil and paperwork. (Up to a dozen sights are reduced and plotted during the weekend, with numerous additional exercises using H.O. 249 and H.O. 229 in conjunction with the…
Currently it's about 474 million miles from the sun and invisible to the naked eye, but astronomers at the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., are saying that Comet Ison could be one of the brightest objects in the sky when it whips around the sun in November. As Comet Ison (discovered in late 2012 by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok) nears perihelion (the point of closest approach to the sun), it will be a mere 732,000 miles above the sun's surface and traveling at 425,000 mph. Early calculations suggest it will also be glowing brightly, with a projected magnitude of -12.6, or the brightness of a full moon. It may be visible during the day as it flings around the sun. Using an object to block the…
Celestial Navigation Seminar April 30-May 1, 2011 Marion, MA Instructor: Tim Queeney Faculty: Tim Queeney, Editor of Ocean NavigatorLocation: Marion, MAVenue: Sippican Womens Center Dates: Two days - April 30 - May 1, 2011Enrollment: 10 Cost: $295. Spouse, or first mate: $150 This two day information packed seminar will demystify the process of navigating by the sun and stars. Ocean Navigator Magazine & Ocean Navigator School of Seamanship Who should attend: Boat owners, navigators and spouses, crew members and first-time voyagers interested in learning navigation. Ocean Navigator Magazine & Ocean Navigator School of Seamanship Seminar Topics Include: Sun sights, star sights, planet sights and moon sights. The process of sight reduction using H.O. 249. Information on sextants, how they work and how to choose one that's best for you.The Seminar Notebook: Each participant receives a…
David Berson, who writes our celestial navigation problems, lives in Greenport, N.Y., and operates the electric launch Glory, recently wrote an encounter he had with a reader: I’m standing in Preston’s, the venerable ships chandlery, in Greenport, New York, and across the counter a fellow is holding a Nautical Almanac in his hands. “Pardon,†I ask, "What is that book you are holding?" "It’s the Nautical Almanac," he answered. "I use it for celestial navigation. Do you know anything about the subject?" My chest swells, and my posture gets straighter, "Well it happens that I write the celestial navigation problems for Ocean Navigator." Usually when I say that the reaction is one of bewilderment and complete silence. But I knew I was in the presence of a fellow traveler. "Honey,…
The New York Times has an op ed piece on its Opinion page that ruminates about the vernal equinox. The writer, Verlyn Klinkenborg, is learning celestial navigation and looks at the equinox with new eyes as a result (diagram is by artist Tau 'olunga). We navigator types know that the vernal and autumnal equinoxes are the two days of the year when the earth experiences equal day and night. Thus the name equinox - equi: equal and nox: night, equal day and night. The sun crosses the equator and its declination goes to zero. All good celestial navigation stuff that occasionally even makes it into the NY Times.
