maritime navigation
Sailing by stars
Maritime navigation is the practice of directing a ship's course across water, using charts, instruments, celestial observations, and now GPS to determine position and plot routes.
The term distinguishes ocean and coastal navigation from air or land travel: Maritime navigation requires understanding tides and currents.
Skills include reading nautical charts, calculating distances, and accounting for wind and weather.
- tidesPeriodic sea-level changes
- compassDevice showing cardinal directions
- magnetic northCompass-indicated pole direction
- sextantMaritime angular measurement device
- lighthouseCoastal beacon tower
astrolabe · magnetic variation · currents · chronometer · distress signals · triangulation · ship's log · wind patterns · coastal waters · sea lanes · great circle · piloting · beacon · running lights · GPS receiver · radar system · port · safe harbor
maritime navigationair navigation
Guiding aircraft through skies
aerial navigation · aviation · ground transportation · astronavigation · driving