Book Description
As paper navigational charts are replaced by vector images on computer screens, magnetic compasses enhanced by digital flux gate technology, and chronometers joined by atomic clocks, the demand has been mounting for an extensive update to the classic reference known worldwide as Dutton's. To meet the varied needs of today's recreational, naval, and commercial navigators the Naval Institute introduces this new edition of a guide that has remained the seafarers' choice for more than three-quarters of a century. It blends the traditional navigation techniques first compiled by Benjamin Dutton in 1926 with technological marvels of the twenty-first century to authoritatively cover all phases of surface navigation. For example, while the book acknowledges that many navigators still peer into the skies through sextant telescopes, it also helps them take full advantage of man-made Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites.
Valued as both an indispensable quick reference and a comprehensive text, Dutton's makes accessible such foreboding subjects as spherical trigonometry through the use of step-by-step explanations and examples that encourage practical use. To insure accuracy and relevancy, a board of experts made up of naval and Coast Guard officers, merchant mariners, accredited harbor pilots, and sea-service academy professors, has carefully reviewed this fifteenth edition. The result is an unparalleled treatment of the art and science of nautical navigation that both amateur and veteran navigators will use to safely navigate the waters of the world. 132 illustrations. Appendixes. Index. 81/2 x 11 inches.
Customer Reviews:
Dutton's Nautical Navigation.......2007-06-27
How one person can have such a comprehensive knowledge of a subject and still provide the information in a useful and pragmatic format is just a pleasure to read. This text walks you through the history of navigation, practical current application and pitfalls of all aspects of navigation theory and application. It is an easy read, well documented and focused without flare and sidelines. Very helpful, will be a standard reference in my navigational education.
Good book, but needs a technical editor.......2006-11-23
Dutton's is well illustrated and clearly written and it covers a lot of ground. However, it is full of technical errors. When I was writing a sailings application I worked the example problems in the sailings section of the book and was distressed to find they were full of mistakes. Later, when I took my Captain's course I spoke about this with the navigation instructor there and he claimed that he never used Dutton's examples because the problems are wide spread. So, I'd suggest reading Dutton's for the prose and then going to Bowditch if you need the math. This is all a bit sad as Dutton's is a text book and into it's 15th edition.
My first perchase from Amazon.com.......2005-10-14
It's cheap and fast than I thought, I hope do more bussiness with Amazon.com. Huang.
The beginnings.......2005-08-23
Dutton's is a good intro for anyone who dreams of being a sailor, or actually intends to do something about it someday. It is arranged in logical style and the material is presented in straightforward and easily understandable terms. Such details as tides, currents & piloting as well as the more esoteric matters of Hyperbolic, Celestial and Bathymetric Navigation are explained. Having finished Dutton's, the actual or would-be sailor/navigator will be ready to pick up a copy of Bowditch and head down to the sea.
Not essential to navigation, but most desirable.......2000-06-06
The essentials to celestial navigation are a sextant, the current nautical almanac, and an accurate timepiece correctible to Greenwich Mean Time (Coordinated Universal Time.)
Given those things and some basic instruments and charts, and of course the requisite knowledge and skills to use them, you can find your way on the trackless oceans of the world.
If you lack the knowledge and skills to use the above instruments and objects, you can learn to use them, with the application of the necessary dilligence and intelligence, in either of two volumes, this one and the 'American Practical Navigator.' The latter comes in two volumes, and is published by the U.S. government (Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic Center).
Both volumes are used as textbooks by the United States Naval Academy and the United States Power Squadrons, to teach celestial navigation. I am a full certificate member of the latter organization.
I recommend them to you.
Joseph Pierre, N
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Etermnity
Book Description
There is deep mystery and profound satisfaction in finding your position on earth by reference to the sun, moon, and stars--not to mention profound relief when the GPS receiver stops working in mid-passage. That is why knowledge of celestial navigation is still a rite of initiation, and its practice still a favorite pastime among serious cruisers.
That this edition of Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen should appear 44 years after the first British edition and 27 years after its first publication in the U.S. is eloquent testimony to the author's clear, concise explanation of a difficult skill. Through those years, Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen has been the best-known, best-loved primer on the subject throughout the English-speaking world. It successfully teaches sailors who have been demoralized by bigger books. It remains "the famous little book" on celestial navigation.
Among other changes, this edition substitutes the Nautical Almanac for the Air Almanac, discusses the "short" tables based on H.O. 211, expands the discussion in a few areas, fine-tunes it in others, and shows how to advance a line of position for a running fix from sun sights. The only mathematics involved are straightforward addition and subtraction.
Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen has spawned many imitators over the years, but it's still the best--with this new edition more than ever.
Customer Reviews:
When your GPS dies.......2007-10-08
This is a neat little book to read if you're serious about finding your position without the benefit of GPS. It's well written and the computations required are basically only addition and subtraction. You can practice using a GPS instrument to check your sights. (What you will find is that you need a lot of practice to get even close!)
"Are the stars out tonight...?".......2006-07-30
Celestial navigation, like knots and splices and reading maritime charts and tide tables, is one of the essential sailing skills. Whether you are a daysailer, weekender, blue water cruiser or lone circumnavigator, there WILL come a time when the GPS quits, the Loran won't work, and you're going to say, "Where the &$@!* am I?". If you haven't learned celestial nav at that point you had better be a real quick study or have hired a good estate planning lawyer.
But assuming that Clarence Darrow Dershowitz Kunstler Belli Nizer, Esq. isn't in your crew, Mary Blewitt's book is a good thing to have. Brief, concise, and Ptolemaically simple to understand, Blewitt takes the hocus-pocus out of asking the heavens for directions. The difficulty with learning celestial nav isn't so much the math (as most people want to believe) as it is that modern man is SO far out of touch with the natural world that looking at the night sky is like looking at---something dark and mysterious. However, add a few very basic, easy-to-grasp concepts to your skill set and your Sunfish will suddenly become the Santa Maria.
Knowing celestial navigation will help you to sail anywhere and, even better, to know where you are when you get there. To that end, this book is an invaluable learning tool.
The Truth.......2005-10-25
Before crossing the Atlantic in 1978 on my 22' sailboat, I read many books on celestial navigation and became convinced that it was an inpenetrable subject and then, on reflection, I realized that that could not be so as so many navigators had had less geometry etc than me. I figured the authors did not really know what they were talking about. And then I came across Prof. Blewett at the Boston Museum of Science, teaching on 10 Wednesday evenings. After the first lecture, on the noon sight, she said, if you your boat is going faster than 20 kts then you don't have to come back for more. That is all you need. She was absolutely right. But I did continue -- I took the course so I could do the fun-and-games of star sights too. I can now teach her course in 45 minutes.
Straightforward.......2001-06-08
This book is exactly what I expected it to be and exactly as advertised. Its short length makes it useful for quick reference. It is clearly written.
Small book packed with information.......2000-03-27
I was concerned that such a small book (just over 100 pages) could contain enough information about celestial navigation to make my sextant useful. I shouldn't have been. The book is bypasses hype, lore and commentary and deals strickly with the topic at hand. It can be tough going but the book is written clearly enough so as not to be confusing on such the subject.
Book Description
The perfect backup navigation system for the serious cruiser in a GPS era, this all-in-one tool kit supplies everything a celestial navigator needs except the sextant. The Complete On-Board Celestial Navigator replaces $300 worth of guides and almanacs traditionally required by celestial navigators and includes a star finder; a five-year (20032007) nautical almanac for determining precise star, sun, moon, or planet locations at the time of sighting; and sight reduction tables for crunching the numbers and producing the fix. Designed with the novice or rusty celestial navigator in mind, it even includes a celestial navigation primer.
Customer Reviews:
great for basic celestial navigation.......2007-10-03
I used this as a beginner, and although I found the explanations at times confusing, working through the practice problems and making my own sights made it clear what to do. A great resource to have, though not one to learn basic theory from. But then again, this is not the purpose of this publication, either.
Everything you need in a compact, easy-to-use handbook.......2007-07-20
This excellent "manual" contains everything needed to perform celestial navigation at sea, or to practice the skills at home. The manual contains an instructional section at the beginning describing the process, followed by complete tables and nautical almanac for 2003-2007, providing everything needed to plot one's position with nothing more than a pencil, paper, and of course the sextant.
I took this book on my single-handed cruise to the Bahamas in 2006, as a back-up to my GPS, and also for practice and the fun and challenge of navigating by the stars. While my GPS never failed me in open water sailing, I still plotted my position by sun and stars several times on the trip, and was very greatful to have everything I needed in one compact book, given how extremely precious space on a small sailboat can be.
One consideration is that the instructions at the beginning will not give nearly as in-depth a lesson into the theory and complexities of celestial navigation as other purely instructional books will give. The book will, however, provide complete instruction for a rusty mind that hasn't performed a sight reduction in a long time, or someone who otherwise has some grasp on the concept. I personally learned celestial navigation simply from a few online instructional sites that give general overviews along with the instructions in this book. I rate the book at 5 stars because I think the "instructional" section is the perfect length for a book of this purpose.
The Complete On-Board Celestial Navigator is an excellent "everything but the sextant" handbook to use for recreational or back-up celestial navigation in today's world.
Good Resource for Intermediate to Advanced Navigator.......2006-08-26
Excellent resource if you wish to manually navigate or if you find yourself in a situation which precludes using GPS.
Complete and compact and very terse.......2006-08-10
I bought this because it combines the functions of nautical almanac and sight reduction tables in one slender volume. It provides five years of star data, sample worksheets and lots of worked out examples. So it's a lot easier than hauling around Nautical Almanacs and 3-volume sight reduction tables.
The tables trade compactness for accuracy. Sights and positions are taken to the nearest minute of latitude or longitude, rather than 10ths of minutes in the standard celestial navigation tables. I don't mind the loss of accuracy; my sights are pretty loose to begin with, and it's hard to imagine an emergency short of nuclear war where I'd actually have to depend on celestial navigation. I'm learning it only because I want to do a Transpac race and the rules require that four lines of position be determined during the race.
Also, to keep the tables small, the sight reduction methodology is non-standard and requires a few extra steps compared to the normal "Bowditch-approved" method. The geometry behind them is completely opaque, so you have to take them on faith unless you are a true expert in celestial navigation techniques. But, once you get the hang of it, it's a straightforward sequence of arithmetic sums.
The author includes a couple of methods for determining azimuth, one by table lookup and one by the use of "Weir diagrams." The latter look interesting but the explanation in the book is completely incomprehensible and I couldn't find another reference that even mentioned them.
The 1999 -2003 edition is now out of date.......2006-07-12
The information in the 1999 edition is now out of date. Buy a new one!
Book Description
In this easy-to-use guide, the author explains clearly and consisely how to navigate andy stretch of sea using only a hand-held sextant, a watch, a plotting sheet and a copy of the Nautical Almanac.
Customer Reviews:
Why celestial navigation?.......2007-09-04
With modern GPS navigation now omnipresent, why would anyone want to use celestial navigation? Because it's fun, it teaches some valuable lessons about how celestial bodies can show where you are on the earth's surface, and it could be a useful backup in case of loss of GPS due to dead batteries or loss of satellites. This book teaches the subject in easy to understand language, and with just the right amount of humor. All you need is a sextant (which can be obtained, used, for less than $100) and a nuatical almanac. Since this book was published some free computer programs have become available wthat will let you enter the time and the sextant reading and produce an LOP (line of position) eliminating the need for the almanac. You can practice taking sun shots at home on land, even if you can't see the horizon. In a few hours you can become pretty good at it.
The Beginners Delight.......2006-08-26
Celestial Navigation in a Nutshell is an excellent starter for just about anyone wanting or needing to navigate using celestial references. It is exactly what you need prior to using The Complete On-Board Celestial Navigator : Includes 2003-2007 Nautical Almanac. It is logically laid out and provides practical exercises which will facilitate developing basic skills. Highly recommend.
Examples clearly explained.......2003-08-25
Hewitt Schlereth wrote this book to explain the use of the HO249 tables to fix one's position on the earth using the known positions of the sun, moon, planets, and distant stars. I would also recommend reading this book if you intend to use another method of sight reduction, such as George G. Bennett's "The Complete On-Board Celestial Navigator" (ISBN: 0071396578). Schlereth gives a good introduction to the celestial bodies used for navigation and how to use them.
Schlereth's examples show the relevant tables, highlighting the values used. He makes it clear how to enter the tables correctly every time, and gives a few tips on how to avoid transcription errors when "taking out" the numbers you need.
He begins the book with a little trigonometric fiction -- that we are interested in the angles between the sun, the "position" of the sun on the surface of the earth, and the observer. Of course, this is a bit of nonsense, as another reviewer, Nathaniel Meyers, has pointed out. Schlereth corrects himself in a later chapter, and I think he could have better begun with the story of how the famous Greek philosopher calculated the circumference of the earth thousands of years ago.
The eager student should work through the examples thouroughly. Be on the lookout for the error in transcribing one of the sights in the example of the approach to San Salvador -- the first fully-plotted example.
This book is a good introduction to celestial navigation -- a useful place to start before going on to more advanced sources of information.
Basic celestial navigation.......2002-10-16
I've been sailing the coast of Portugal for a few years now, and have always been curious about celestial navigation. I dicided to buy this book because all experienced sailors i've met always talk about this kind of navigation. I read this book and got the hole picture. It's really very well written for biginners. If you are thinking about starting CN this is the right book for you.
Easy to understand, easy to use!.......2002-08-31
I'm a student pilot (hopefully for not much longer!) and navigation is very interesting to me, not to talk of very important as well. I've heard of celestial navigation as being the ultimate form of navigation and I was interested in finding out more about it by reading various books but each time I did, I had to give up because I did not have the necessary PhD in astrophysics to understand what the author was trying to say.
So, it was with a little trepidation that I approached reading this book by Schlereth and to my pleasant surprise, celestial navigation makes sense! His use of simplified theory may not be to some people's taste but at the end of the day, I'm not studying for an exam, I'm trying to understand what celestial navigation is and how to use it. This book teaches you how exactly to use it and that's all that matters to any good author and should to any good reader. I can now go outdoors with a sextant and the necessary tables and find out where on earth I am, correct theory or no!
Average customer rating:
- A Must For Sextant Freaks
- Beautifully put together book about navigation
- Splendid, stunning and highly informative
|
Taking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from Argonauts to Astronauts
Peter Ifland
Manufacturer: Krieger Publishing Company
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ASIN: 1575240955 |
Book Description
An early astrolabe, its name derived from Greek words for "star" (astron) and "to take" (lambanein), was an instrument with which a navigator "took the stars" to determine a vessel's position in the great expanse of the sea. From the simple wooden kamál developed by ancient Arab mariners to the modern navigator's electronic global positioning system, Taking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from Argonauts to Astronauts$I traces the long path of ingenious inventions developed for celestial navigation. Renowned collector Peter Ifland applies his talent for clear, engaging prose to describe the incremental improvements, world-changing advances, and well-intentioned failures that have marked the evolution of celestial navigation instruments for over 1,000 years. Two panoramas converge in these lavishly illustrated pages. One is a parade of wonderful--and often, wonderfully clever--devices for celestial navigation: among others, the kamál, the cross-staff and back-staff, the astrolabe, and the marvelous variations on the divided celestial circle--the half-circle, quadrant, quintant, sextant, octant, and their kin. The other panorama is a carefully delineated roll-call of the great craftsmen and inventors of celestial navigation instruments--the likes of Thomas Godfrey, Captain John Davis, John Dollond, Edward Nairne, John Hadley, and Jesse Ramsden.
Customer Reviews:
A Must For Sextant Freaks.......2005-07-28
There are a few books on instruments used for nautical astronomy that you must have if you are interested in this field: Mörzer Bruijns "The Cross Staff", Stimson " The Mariner`s Astrolabe", Albuquerque "Instruments of Navigation" and Cotter "A History of the Navigator`s Sextant". This last book - although full of facts - is sadly lacking in good illustrations. "Taking the Stars" has both: a thorough and detailed history of instruments used for making astronomical observations right up to the latest developments and beautiful illustrations that show in detail what the text is talking about. It is rather rare that one finds such a well informed text in a book which can easily pass as a "coffee table book". My first copy of this book was destroyed by water; I ordered a new copy the next day.
Beautifully put together book about navigation.......2003-10-08
Today the very idea of using a sextant seems crazy when you can just switch on your GPS and be told where on the planet you are. This book takes you through some of the scientific instruments used to find your position on the earth. The author has taken the time not only to display excellent photos of the instruments but also describes their use. If you have an interest in either astronomy, celestial navigation or even scientific instruments I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Splendid, stunning and highly informative.......1999-07-30
I have spent days savoring this delicious work. Ifland has set a new standard against which all subsequent instrument books must be judged. The illustrations are magnificent; the text is lucid and I particularly like the fact that, in many cases, instructions are given for actual use of the instrument being discussed. Thank you, Peter Ifland!
Book Description
Celestial navigation is the one of the oldest of the mariner's arts - and one of the most awe-inspiring. To guide a small boat across the trackless oceans using only a simple measuring device - the sextant - and the knowledge of the sun, moon and stars is a skill that borders on the magical.
In these pages Tom Cuncliffe shows how to master the art in easy stages. Starting from a sound foundation of basic concepts and definitions, he moves on to the hardware: the sextant and how to use it. within a few pages he has you down on the beach, shooting the sun. From there it is a short step to working out your latitude from a noon sight, and learning how to plot a position from observation of the sun, planets, moon or stars - wherever you may be on the world's oceans.
"He writes with the authority of a man who knows that his methods work in the most testing of all examination rooms, a small boat sailing on the open ocean."
âBill Anderson, Formerly Rya Training manager
Customer Reviews:
Get your bearings on CelNav.......2006-03-24
Celestial navigation, practiced by seamen for thousands of years, seems to be a daunting topic encompassing spherical trigonometry and lots of tables to look up values.
Tom Cunliffe managed to get everything you need to know to use celestial navigation to get across an ocean or to do some sun or star shots for fun into a small volume. This is without question the best book to learn the basics how to use a sextant, calculate your position from the sun, multiple stars, even the moon.
You will need a Nautical Almanach and Site Reduction Tables Pub. 249 but no other books to get started. Also get some Universal Plotting Sheets and you are ready.
Book Description
Your All-in-One Navigation Tool Kit
Celestial navigation remains an essential skill for every mariner who ventures out of sight of land. In this era of electronic navigation, it is the perfect backup system, enabling you to determine your position when the GPS malfunctions or your boat loses electrical power.
Here in one volume is every bit of information you need to understand the process, take sights, and find your location anywhere in the world. Compiled for beginning and experienced celestial navigators alike, and elegantly designed on the assumption that 1-mile precision is perfectly adequate for backup navigation, this handy volume replaces $300 worth and thousands of pages of guides, tables, and almanacs.
The Complete On-Board Celestial Navigator includes:
- A clear, concise primer/refresher that explains the entire process
- A five-year nautical almanac (2007–2011) for determining precise star, sun, moon, and planet locations at the time of sighting
- A star finder
- Sight reduction tables for crunching the numbers and producing a fix anywhere in the world
"The only complete self-contained work available. When your electronic navigation fails, 'steering by the stars' will guide you safely to your destination."—Sydney Afloat (Australia)
Average customer rating:
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The Nautical Almanac for the Year 2002
Manufacturer: Dept. of the Navy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Almanacs
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ASIN: 0160506476 |
Book Description
Produced jointly by Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office, RoyalGreenwich Observatory and the United States Naval Observatory. Printed separately in the United Kingdom and in the United States. Presents data for use in astronomical navigation at sea. Includes Jupiter, Saturn, selected stars, our Sun, our Moon, twilight, Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise, and Moonset. Includes "Index to Selected Stars, 2002" and "Altitude correction tables for Sun, stars, planets" on a separate sheet.
Books:
- Essential Cosmic Perspective, The (3rd Edition)
- Essential Cosmic Perspective, The (3rd Edition)
- Fallingwater: A Frank Lloyd Wright Country House
- Fundamental Astronomy
- Galaxies and How to Observe Them (Astronomers' Observing Guides)
- Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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