NAV 224 Prelim Assignment 1

Last Name: Albañ o First Name: Claire MI: D.

EDP Code/Subject: 03845 Year & Sec: 2 year GN
nd
Date:04/15/2023
Title of Assignment: Navigational Astronomy
Instructor Rank/Name: Captain Adonis P. Apellido Submission date; 13 Apr. 2023 0900H to
GC. Due date: 17 Apr. 2023 0900H TOPIC;

1. Describe the basic concepts and principles of Navigational Astronomy including but not limited to
universe, apparent motion, coordinate systems

Navigational Astronomy is a technique for determining one's geographic position by the

observation of identified stars, identified planets, the Sun, and the Moon. For sailors, celestial
navigation is a step up from dead reckoning. This technique uses the stars, moon, sun, and
horizon to calculate position. It is very useful on the open ocean, where there are no landmarks.
The universe is everything. It includes all of space, and all the matter and energy that space
contains. It even includes time itself and, of course, it includes you. Earth and the Moon are part
of the universe, as are the other planets and their many dozens of moons.
The apparent motion of celestial bodies is the movement they seem to make from the
perspective of an observer on Earth. The apparent motion of the sun is due to the rotation of
the Earth on its axis, while the apparent motion of the stars is due to the rotation of the Earth
and its movement around the sun.
Coordinate systems are used in Navigational Astronomy to locate the position of celestial bodies
in the sky. The most commonly used coordinate system is the celestial sphere, which is an
imaginary sphere surrounding the Earth on which all celestial bodies appear to be located. The
celestial sphere is divided into two sets of coordinates: the celestial equator and the ecliptic.
The celestial equator is a projection of the Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere. It divides
the celestial sphere into the northern and southern hemispheres. The ecliptic is the path that
the sun appears to take across the celestial sphere over the course of a year. It is tilted at an
angle of 23.5 degrees to the celestial equator.
Navigational Astronomy also involves the use of tools such as sextants and almanacs to measure
the position of celestial bodies and calculate the position of a ship or aircraft on the Earth's
surface. These tools rely on the principles of triangulation and trigonometry to determine the
position of the observer relative to the celestial bodies.