Astro Navigation

The Admiralty Manual of Navigation Volume 2

10th Edition 2011

Authored by

The Royal Navy

Clear and concise guidance for astro navigation
Suitable for novices and experts
Skills to cope with satellite loss

Astro Navigation

The Admiralty Manual of Navigation Volume 2

10th Edition 2011

Authored by The Royal Navy

NI Ref: 0328 ISBN 978 1 906915 30 8
The maritime community relies heavily on GPS or
its GNSS equivalents but what happens if satellite
reception is lost, fails or if equipment breaks down?
All mariners should be able to use non-satellite
methods of navigation and this book provides the
authoritative text.
It provides clear and concise guidance for astro
navigation, suitable for both the novice and expert.
Armed with this manual mariners can gain the practical skills they need to cope with GPS
or its GNSS equivalent failure.
The 2011 edition of The Admiralty Manual of Navigation Volume 2 has been brought fully
up to date and includes detailed guidance on the practical use of the latest version of
HM Nautical Almanac Offices NAVPAC 3 astro navigation software. It also provides a full
explanation of astro navigation theory, detailed guidance for using recognised traditional
methods of calculating astro-navigation solutions and the use of programmable calculator
methods. A full section is devoted to the Marine Sextant, including many useful practical
tips gleaned from years of sea experience on how best to use it, even in adverse weather.
It has a powerful, intelligent index for easy data retrieval.
This Admiralty Manual has been produced by The Royal Navy, with the cooperation of
the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and other authorities and published
jointly with The Nautical Institute. Over many years, the Admiralty Manuals of Navigation
have become the leading publications on this subject and this new edition will benefit all
mariners in every type of vessel.

The author
Lieutenant Commander Alan Peacock FNI FRIN, Royal Navy was educated at Trent
College, Nottingham, and joined The Royal Navy in 1966, qualifying as a Principal Warfare
Officer (PWO) in 1976 and then as a Navigation sub-specialist two years later. He served
at sea and was awarded the coveted Dagger N qualification in 1983 as an Advanced
Specialist Navigator. He gained an MSc with Distinction in Applied Navigation from
the University of Plymouth and was appointed to Navy Command as the author for the
Admiralty Manuals of Navigation, doubling the series to 15 books. He is also author of
Volume 1 (The Principles of Navigation), published together with The Nautical Institute.
Alan Peacock was elected a Fellow of The Nautical Institute in 2003 and a Fellow of the
Royal Institute of Navigation in 2009.

Detailed Summary of Volume 2

Chapter 1

The Celestial Sphere - Introduction

Chapter 2

Time Systems

Chapter 3

Practical Sights: Planning, Taking, Reducing and Plotting

Chapter 4

The Celestial Sphere - Definitions, Hour Angles and the Theory of Time

Chapter 5 Identification of Heavenly Bodies, Astronomical Position Lines,

Observed Position and Sight Reduction Procedures
Chapter 6

Meridian Passage and Polaris

Chapter 7

The Rising and Setting of Heavenly Bodies

Chapter 8

Refraction, Dip and Mirage

Chapter 9

Errors in Astronomical Position Lines

Appendix 1 The Sky at Night

Appendix 2 Extracts from The Nautical Almanac (1997)

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Astro Navigation The Admiralty Manual of Navigation Volume 2
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NI Ref: 0328
ISBN 978 1 906915 30 8
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