#Celestial air navigation how to#

The artificial horizon can be used with any celestial object bright enough to be reflected off of the artificial horizon's liquid surface. This should be wiped clean before your sight is made. One drawback to the design of the sloped frame glass plate holder is that the water used will evaporate and could condense on the inside of the glass plates. Celestaire, offers both bubble horizons and the Davis Artificial Horizon. An alternative to the artificial horizon is to use a practice horizon bubble, which attaches directly to the sextant. It costs about $27 and comes with colored plastic filter panes that can be used to diminish the intensity of the sun. I use a Davis Instrument Artificial Horizon, which, as you can see in Figure 1, is a simple design complete with glass plates closing the unit off from any air disturbances. You only need to be certain that the surface of the liquid is not disturbed in any way while taking the sight. A small pan filled with oil or water will work just fine. What is an artificial horizon? Basically it is a flat, level, horizontal, reflecting surface. If the sky is clear and the sun, moon, planets or stars are visible then get out there and practice. When not on the ocean for the perfect horizon, the next best option is to use an artificial horizon from your backyard. Gaining proficiency in getting an accurate altitude, in my opinion, is the first and most important step in celestial navigation and the only way to get proficient is to practice. As I perused the various books and references it became clear to me that all were focused on the reduction of the sight and not to the methods or techniques of getting the sextant altitude in the first place.

There are many references and books explaining how to reduce the sextant altitude to a usable fix. Practice taking celestial sights while landlocked by using an artificial horizon

#Celestial air navigation how to#