Celestial Navigation in a Nutshell (Seafarer Books) [Paperback]

Hewitt Schlereth (Author)

Book Description

Series: Seafarer Books | Publication Date: July 15, 2000

Practical considerations aside, there is something soul-satisfying about looking to the sky to plot one's course. And despite the proliferation of electronic navigational devices, celestial navigation remains an essential tool for those who do not wish to be caught short when modern technology fails. Ideally, today's navigators employ a combination of DR and GPS technology, along with traditional methods of celestial navigation.

In this easy-to-use guide, Hewitt Schlereth explains clearly and concisely how to navigate any stretch of sea using only a hand-held sextant, a watch, a plotting sheet and a copy of the Nautical Almanac. The basic process is simple: take a sight with a sextant, establish a secondary reference or benchmark sight, compare the two sights and plot the result of the comparison on a chart. Schlereth demonstrates how to take sights by the sun, moon, stars and planets, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The reader is taken carefully through several examples and situational illustrations, making this a most effective self-teaching guide.

Also discussed in a straightforward manner are the fundamental theories of astronomy and celestial navigation. Common errors are reviewed and several tips on how to improve accuracy are given.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Why would anyone want to learn celestial navigation? The answer: Because it will satisfy your soul. --Sailing, March 2001

... covers everything you need to know to become an expert celestial navigator. Schlereth's approach and style is decidedly hands-on. --Cruising World, August 2001

... covers everything you need to know to become an expert celestial navigator. Schlereth's approach and style is decidedly hands-on. --Cruising World, August 2001

About the Author

Hewitt Schlereth is an accomplished sailor who has written several books on navigation, including Commonsense Coastal Navigation and Latitude and Longitude by Noon Sight. He is also a frequent contributor to Cruising World magazine. He currently resides in Milford, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sheridan House (July 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574090585
• ISBN-13: 978-1574090581
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celestial Navigation in a Nutshell, July 18, 2000

By 

Jeremiah Lighter (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celestial Navigation in a Nutshell (Seafarer Books) (Paperback)

I found Celestial Navigation in a Nutshell easy to follow and the diagrams made a distinct contribution to my understanding. I also liked Schlereth's informal, personal style. It too made this scary subject more readily available to my teensy mathematical mind.

I found his use of the plotting sheet a unique and helpful addition. I never came across this gimmick before. I was also grateful for the large easy-to-read type.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to understand, easy to use!, August 30, 2002

By 

Frederic Woodbridge "Fred" (ID, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celestial Navigation in a Nutshell (Seafarer Books) (Paperback)

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!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Examples clearly explained, August 25, 2003

By 

Renee "Renee" (West Chester, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celestial Navigation in a Nutshell (Seafarer Books) (Paperback)

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.