"The sextant has always been the most noble instrument for navigation, and even though you can now get easy and precise instruments for finding your position, the sextant ought not be forgotten.
"To use a sextant and compute the fixpoint by the sun, moon, planets or stars, or by measuring angles between objects on the earth, is an interesting and educational hobby both at sea and ashore.
"This book describes how to use the sextant and how to make easy sextant sights by aid of the computer programme 'MyStars!', instead of using almanacs and tables.
NOW AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH OR DANISH:
'Sextant & Computer - For Yachtsmen and Landlubbers'
ISBN: 87-986511-6-1; In English, translated from Danish
'Sekstantnavigation med Computer'
ISBN: 87-986511-5-3; In Danish
Hand-bound Paperback, 95 pgs. Forlaget Kurs, Publisher. Includes no software.
USD $29.99 or CDN $32.99 (includes postage & taxes)
Click to View PDF Sample Pages
Chapters:
- The Sextant: The Mirror Sextant, Sextant Types: drum-nonius-bubble-bris, Adjusting the Sextant
- Basic Concepts in Navigation: Position, Course, Distance, Charts, Horizon, Kiming, Bearings, The Celestial Sphere
- Terrestial Navigation by Sextant: Horizontal Angle, Horizontal Safety Angles, Mark and Horizontal Angle
- Astronomical Sights: Sextant Observations, The Programme 'MyStars!', Adjusting 'MyStars!', Data for Observations from MyStars!
- Height Corrections: Measuring over the Kiming, Measuring over Artificial Horizon, The Four Corrections, Artifical Horizon and Bubble Sextant
- Astronomical Lines of Position: The Altitude Method, Equal Circles of Height, How to Make a Line of Position, Latitude Sights, The Longitude at Noon, Sun Observation with the Bris Sextant
- Stars and Planets of the Sky: Sun, Moon, Planets, Stars
- Methods and Formulas: The Nautical-Astronomical Triangle, Spreadsheets, Navigational Computers
- Tables: Terms, Corrections for Sun, Corrections for Stars, Dip
About The Author:
Bent Friis is a retired ship's captain, and MyStars! user, and the author of many books on navigation and using sextants. During his career as a ships officer, he used the sextant professionally while travelling between Europe and North and South America. Later he worked as a ferry captain between Denmark and Sweden. He is now a teacher of navigation, corrects compasses for the Danish Navy, and writes educational books from his home in Snekkersten, Denmark.
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