Support for the Traditional Navigator

The Nautical Almanac

Catherine Hohenkerk HM Nautical Almanac Office

The Nautical Almanac and

Astronomical Ephemeris for the Year 1767

Revd. Nevil Maskelyne, 5th Astronomer Royal (17651811) 1763: Published his British Mariner's Guide, suggests to facilitate Lunar Distances should be calculated beforehand, for each year, and published in a form accessible to navigators. 1765: Appointed AR & on the Board of Longitude

By John Russell National Maritime Museum, London

Quality Control
All the Articles of the Ephemeris were computed by Two separate Persons, and examined by a Third, except Of the Moon's Longitude, Latitude, Right Ascension Declination, Semidiameter, and parallax, which, for Noon, were computed by One Person, and for Midnight by another, and the Truth of these Calculations ascertained by means of Differences, which, for the Moon's Longitude, were carried out as far as the Fourth Order.

NA 1767 published 1766

Computers & Comparers : Example of Lunar Distances 1785

1828: Nautical Almanac Act

Almanac fell into disrepute. It became notorious for its errors; February 29 was forgotten in the table of apparent places of stars in a particular leap year. In 1818 it was said in the House of Commons that it had become "a bye-word amongst the literati of Europe. The "leaves-on-the-track; Wrong kind of snow! Another story: A Spanish commander who, as a token of international courtesy, exchanged his own almanac for that of a British warship commander's; the Spaniard was never heard of again! 1831/1832 The Nautical Almanac Office

HMNAO at UKHO ----- Today, Tomorrow,

UK National Hydrographer Division Captain Jamie McMichael-Phillips
Dr Steven Bell (20 years) Dr Donald Taylor (> 30 years) Miss Catherine Hohenkerk (> 30 years) Dr Julia Weratschnig (maternity leave till 2013 Spring) Mr James Whittaker (2012) Dr Susan Nelmes (starting at the end of October) Dr Paresh Prema (starting at the end of October)

The Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris

NA & AE 1767-1895
1896-1913 Part 1 NA & AE Published for Seamen 1914 . 1896-1930 Part 2 NA & AE
1931-1959 NA & AE 1960-1980 Astronomical Ephemeris

1981

The Astronomical Almanac

The Nautical Almanac 1914 -

Various Titles
Abridged for the Use of Seamen

1914-1923 changes every year 1924-1928 remodeled for sailors 1929-1951 redesigned for navigators
The Abridged Nautical Almanac

1952 1958*, 1959*

The Nautical Almanac (NP314)

1960 -

Astro-Navigation Today
Sextant, UT1 & the means of Sight Reduction

Almanac The Nautical Almanac (NA)

Sight Reduction Tables (SRT) NAs Concise SRT Marine Navigation : 6 Volumes Rapid SRT Navigation: 3 VolumesAP3270 Software (or a calculator) NavPac

Extract: NA left-hand page

Extract: NA right-hand page

The Nautical Almanac (NP 314)

Joint publication with US Naval Observatory
Available world wide via UKHO

Licensed via
Hydrographic Offices Commercial companies An NA is a SOLAS requirement

2014

Sight Reduction Tables

NA Concise Reduction Tables (USNO)

NA Concise Reduction Tables (USNO)

For use in an emergency Method accurate to ~2' Compact only 32 pages of tables Complicated to use.

Sight Reduction Tables for Marine Navigation NP 401, 6 Volumes

Altitude (Hc) to 0'.1 and Azimuth (Zn) to 0.1 Used with an almanac & compatible with NA Accuracy of method 0'.2 - 0'.3 Joint publication, HMNAO / UKHO / USNO / NGA UKHO have ceased printing this volume US edition (Pub 229) is still available

Rapid Sight Reduction Tables for Navigation AP 3270 / NP 303

[Sight Reduction Tables for Air Navigation]

3 Volumes Altitude (Hc) to 1' & Azimuth (Zn)

Rapid Sight Reduction Tables for Navigation

AP3270 / NP 303 : Volume 1 Selected Stars, 2015

AP3270 / NP 303, Volumes 2 & 3

Rapid Sight Reduction Tables AP 3270 / NP 303

Altitude (Hc) to 1' & Azimuth (Zn) Vol 1, Selected Stars, 7 best Vol 2 & 3, require an almanac Method accurate to ~0'.5 Joint publication of HMNAO & USNO

2015.0

NavPac Software : 1986 - 2015

Digital / PC

Ephemerides
Position 0'.15 NA + AP3270 + GC/Rhumb sailing + Az for compass checks Does the Calculations!

RN Recommended

NavPacRiseSet
Times of: Rise & Set

Twilights
Meridian Passage and Altitude at Mer.pass

NavPacRiseSet Compass Check

Times when

Calculated altitude = 0
Azimuth

NavPacFindit

NavPac

Sights

An Astronomical Observation

NavPacSights Results

Calculations

NavPacAlmanac

NavPacFinder Rhumb Line/Great Circle Routes

Astro-Navigation Issues for the Future

Modern NavPac improved interface, more functions Platform independent? Web availability? Adobe Acrobat (pdf) e-NA, e-AP3270? Polar navigation? UT1/UTC and the possible dropping of leap seconds?

The Nautical Almanac

Support for the Navigator

You cant jam it.

It doesnt crash!

Thank you.