Learn the fundamentals of celestial navigation and improve your seamanship skills
Have you ever been anchored at night and found yourself looking up at the sky, thinking, “How did the early sailors use the stars to travel the whole world?” Understanding the night sky can help you become a better navigator and sailor. After this online class, you will never look at a map the same way. This introductory class will help you get a better understanding of the science behind celestial navigation. It is also a fantastic first step for anyone interested in taking the ASA 107 Celestial Navigation course.
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ONLINE COURSE OVERVIEW
This online class is designed for all sailors and is intended to be an enjoyable and interesting exploration that will reveal your truly innate understanding of navigation. You will see how ancient people used the Sun and Stars and how insights and simple techniques have evolved through history. You will learn to understand Babylonian arithmetic, see how to use a sextant, know why the North Star isn’t, what allowed England to navigate the world, and how GPS works. Elbert Ashbaugh is a seasoned sailor and navigation teacher who believes that you should know the “why” as well as the “what”. This online class provides the concepts and structure upon which you will eagerly anticipate your future navigation classes, even if they aren’t celestial.
Who is this online class for?
This course is for curious sailors who want to understand the bigger picture of navigation, not just follow a chartplotter. It’s a great fit for coastal cruisers, passagemakers, sailing students, and anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how mariners found their way long before GPS.
It’s also an excellent starting point for sailors considering ASA 107 or anyone who wants to build deeper confidence in seamanship, navigation, and self-reliance.
What will i learn?
In this course, you’ll gain a practical introduction to the principles behind celestial navigation and how sailors have used the sun, stars, time, and simple tools to navigate for centuries. You’ll come away with a clearer understanding of how position, direction, and distance all connect, and why celestial navigation still matters today.
Along the way, you’ll explore how a sextant works, how latitude and longitude are determined, how the Nautical Almanac is used, and how celestial techniques can serve as a valuable backup when modern electronics fail.
List of Topics:
- Origins of constellations for navigation
- Early astrological events in human history
- 3 Basics of Navigation: location, direction, and distance
- Viking Sunstones
- Babylonian Astronomy & Arithmetic
- How a sextant works
- Using The Nautical Almanac
- Finding latitude using Polaris (or the Sun!)
- What does latitude have to do with nautical miles?
- How 17th-century navigators traveled the world using only latitude
- Why is longitude measured in time (hours, min, etc)?
- What is an analemma
- How a little patio in Greenwich, England became the center of the Earth's time tracking helping the British Navy control the world
- Using celestial navigation in an emergency
WHY LEARN CELESTIAL NAVIGATION
Backup to Modern Technology
GPS and electronic navigation systems can fail due to equipment malfunctions, signal loss, or power issues. In such cases, celestial navigation serves as a reliable backup method.
Maintaining Maritime Tradition
Celestial navigation is a time-honored skill that preserves the traditions and heritage of maritime exploration. It represents the techniques used by legendary navigators who charted unknown waters centuries ago.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Celestial navigation requires sailors to understand the principles of astronomy, timekeeping, and navigation. This fosters self-reliance and critical thinking, especially in situations where technological aids are unavailable.
YOUR HOST
ELBERT "ASH" ASHBAUGH
Elbert Ashbaugh is a Physicist and Computer Scientist who has sailed and taught sailing for over 30 years during his US and European career in high technology and management. Retired from Silicon Valley, he is the Director of Field Operations for American Sailing where he works worldwide coordinating ASA with the owners, instructors, and administrators in the sailing schools who all contribute to keeping the sailing education profession first rate.
ONLINE CLASS REGISTRATION
@ 4:30 PM PT / 7:30 PM ET (90 min)
Regular Price
$39
ASA Member Price
$29
ON-DEMAND ACCESS
All registrations include unlimited on-demand access to the recordings of the live online class. So if you are unable to attend live you can still register and watch at your leisure.
ASA MEMBER DISCOUNT
American Sailing Members can claim their discount in the Member Portal. If you're not a current member then for only $59/year you can join or renew today!
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