Celestial Navigation: A Complete Home Study Course, Second Edition, Hardcover

If you have enough paper and enough ink you're sure to produce something relevant in the end. Some good material, sometimes too much description, there are diagrams, some are very good, but fewer words and more diagrams might have been better. There are examples & exercises all exhaustive.There are some differences with the terminology being a US production, but all easily translatable. Probably best as a basic or refresh reference book. If this tome was the only book on the topic, some might give up at the first fence.The size & volume of this book make the whole subject seem unnecessarily daunting. When one compares this with Mary Blewitt's slim little volume of 60 odd pages on Celestial Navigation which is so much clearer, succinct and just as comprehensive, one would inevitably choose the latter.

Having done a proper RYA course on this subject twice in the last 15 years this was the first time that I really began to understand what the subject was about rather than simply complete a course. The workbook is designed to inspire you to explore the reasons why something is the way it is rather than simply a descriptive definition of the terms and theory involved. I now understand not just how to use the Nautical Almanac but how it is constructed so that I can double check its figures without assuming they must be correct because its an official publication. The joy in realising that you do understand not just the concepts or the theory but how to apply that knowledge (which will always be in your head rather than a PC) in a vast variety of circumstances really makes you appreciate the wonderful clockwork of the heavens above but also the sheer mastery that our ancient mariners had when they used this knowledge in the confidence that they could safely navigate the oceans around them. In short BUY this book and master this "black" art for ever. One day your GPS will die : the knowledge and the confidence gained by completing this workbook will not.ThanksPeter B.

The book is a brilliant study of celestial navigation techniques, the problem is that when you buy it in the UK you do not get the free computer version of the book along with your purchase, there are a few other Starpath goodies that you do not qualify for also. But all in alll a great book at a great price.

Struggling a bit with this but I think that’s coz it’s a complicated topic. Also the illustration of a sextant looks different from my sextant ( eg mine doesn’t have a light.)The exercises are good but I do find it irritating when it frequently says ‘this is easy’. If that was the case I wouldn’t need the book!

I have tried a few cel nav books, this one starts at the very basics of adding degrees and minutes .... sounds easy but can catch you out.So far so good I’m about 1/3 rd of the way through it. I’m still enjoying reading it. You also get to know their web site and down load well worth the money it’s self.

Decided I wanted to learn Celestial Navigation so got this book. I have found it very well laid out and easy to follow. It has been done so that you can learn the components and do the navigation without having to understand much about what is behind it, but goes into more depth if you want to. Exercises are good. I would recommend this book.

So far so good, I'm understanding how the course will be structured. Make sure you start from the introduction and avoid the temptation to jump straight in. Well written and its simple structure should lead me through, hopefully

Excellent book for teaching yourself Astro nav.