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Overview
Some things change, some things stay the same. After almost 20 years in print, we find that the virtues and values of this book and the Star Finder it discusses have not changed. For navigators who might rely on celestial navigation, or for anyone who cares to learn more about star and planet ID and how these bodies move across the sky, this book remains a wonderful resource. The new redesigned format of the book makes it much easier to read than the earlier editions. It has also been enhanced with numerous diagrams on finding directions from the stars.This book turns the 2102-D Star Finder into a hand-held planetarium, which will become your most important tool for star ID and for planning star and planet sights. It also includes many unique practical tables not found elsewhere, such as how to tell the best use of the moon from its age, how to compare brightness of stars and planets in an easy way, which stars are reddish, and more.
Includes a general discussion of choosing and optimizing star-planet sights and how to optimize sun-moon fixes during the day, along with general tips on practical celestial navigation. Plus how to use the Star Finder as a solar compass if your magnetic compass should fail.
Extensive realistic examples worked out in full numerical detail. This is definitely a specialized book. But it will certainly tell you all you ever wanted to know about the Star Finder - and probably more! - but it is organized in a way that is easy to use to find what you need.
We prepared this book in about 1984 when we learned that nearly every yacht gone ocean voyaging carried a Star Finder with it, but that barely anyone ever used it to any practicalvalue. This book will change that situation for those who take the time to read through it.
Computer programs can do a lot these days to help with star ID and sight planning, but few to date are set up to do this job as well as you can do it yourself with the 2102-D Star Finder. The exception is our own StarPilot products (for calculators and PC software) which not only offers star and planet ID based on approximate height and bearing, but also prints out the entire sky for any data or location as a radar-screen-like view with over head in the center and the horizon along the circumference of the plot.
Editorials
The Navigation Foundation Newsletter
It is a worthy addition to the shipboard library of even the smallest vessel. It is a valuable guide for those who would learn the use of the Star Finder for the first time, and it will expand the understanding and insights of many who are already familiar with the 2102-D.—Roger Jones
Book Details
Published
June 1, 2008
Publisher
starpath publications
Pages
72
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780914025009