Introduction » Lesson Objectives
This training will introduce navigators to the fundamentals of the celestial navigation. After completing the course, the navigator will be able to:
- Name the coordinates that define a location on Earth, a location on the sky, and a location as viewed from the rotating Earth.
- Define "geographic position" with respect to the position of a celestial object.
- Define zenith and zenith distance.
- Describe how one measures zenith distance.
- Describe the relationship between zenith distance and geographic position.
- Define lines of position (LOPs), and what intersecting LOPs determine.
- List the steps that a navigator performs as he/she plots lines of position; describe how to plot LOPs on a chart.
- Summarize the accuracy of positions determined using celestial navigation.
- List some advantages and limitations of celestial navigation.
- List the information required to obtain a celestial navigation fix.
- List the instruments required to make an observation.
- List the necessary corrections to a sextant measurement, also known as sextant altitude or Hs, to produce an observed altitude or Ho.
- Describe the Intercept Method.
- Describe why an "assumed position" is used.
- Describe how to calculate the intercept distance using Ho and Hc.
- Describe how the intercept distance, azimuth, and the moniker HoMoTo are used to plot a LOP.
- Describe the special publications used to determine Hc and Zn of an object.
- Describe the contents of The Nautical Almanac and Pub 249, and how they are used in sight planning.
- List the different navigational sights taken during a 24-hour period on a naval passage.
- Define the concept of a running fix and explain how to plot it.
- Describe how mid-morning and mid-afternoon Sun sights can constrain a running fix.
- Summarize the concept of a Local Apparent Noon Sun sight, and how it can yield a fix.