Stark Tables for Clearing the Lunar Distance

Stark Tables for Clearing the Lunar Distance
$39.00
STR020
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Celestial navigation is a way to find your latitude and longitude on earth using a sextant to measure the angular heights of celestial bodies above the horizon. It has been used by mariners at sea and explorers on land for three hundred years, and it is still used today as a dependable backup to modern electronic navigation. Routine celestial navigation relies upon accurate time (Universal Time) to find the longitude of a position (latitude does not require time). Advanced celestial navigators can find longitude without knowing the time using a technique called Lunar Distance. In this technique, the sextant is used to measure the angular (diagonal) distance between the moon and another celestial body. Since this distance slowly changes as the moon moves eastward though the stars, it can be used to find the time of day that is needed to complete the longitude determination. The process of finding longitude from lunar distance, however, requires special tables that have not been published in the Nautical Almanac or other sources since the early 1900s. Although software solutions have been available, most advanced celestial navigators are very grateful to navigation historian Bruce Stark for creating these printed tables dedicated to this task. They have been used and tested by mariners for more than 15 years and are praised by experts for their ingenuity and ease of use in solving this complex navigation exercise-which all agree is the hallmark of an expert celestial navigator. With The Stark Tables in your nav station, you no longer have to fear losing power to your electronic navigation aids, nor are you dependent on accurate time from any official broadcast. Besides their practical use in back up navigation, historians have used these tables for years to interpret the logbooks of Lewis and Clark, David Thompson, James Cook, Matthew Flinders, George Vancouver, Nathaniel Bowditch, and other notable explorers and sea captains. "It is remarkable in this day when the very survival of celestial navigation seems in question, that an individual should suddenly appear on the scene and present to the world such a brilliant piece of work. Stark has rendered a great service to the celestial navigation community" - Robert Eno, The Navigator's Newsletter "Captain Cook would have relished using these tables, had they been available to him then" - George Huxtable, FRIN

Specifications

Format:
Paperback
Author:
Bruce Stark
Pages:
315 pages
Dimensions (IN):
8.5 x 11
ISBN:
9780914025214
Supplier/Publisher:
Starpath

Material Options

PAPER CHARTS

Our paper charts are printed on high resolution, heavyweight, water-resistant paper, using state of the art printing technology. The paper and printing process has been certified by NOAA and deemed to be suitable to withstand the rigors of use in the marine environment.

FULL SIZED PAPER CHARTS ARE CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS		 WATERPROOF CHARTS

Our waterproof charts are printed on a
very durable, extremely tear resistant,
waterproof material using state of the art
printing technology. The waterproof
material accepts pencil markings well and
also erases well. The paper and printing process has been certified by NOAA and deemed to be suitable to withstand the
rigors of use in the marine environment.

TIP: If you plan to frame or laminate a chart using heat, then do not choose waterproof because the material can melt under heat.

FULL SIZED WATERPROOF CHARTS ARE CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS

 Size Options

  

SMALL FORMAT CHARTS
These are up-to-date, NOAA charts simply
reduced in size so that the small dimension of the chart is 21”, the long dimension is proportionally reduced. These charts are not printed to full size, therefore the scale is not the same as the full size NOAA chart, however the scale bars on the charts are proportionally reduced in size, and can be used for reference. These charts are not recommended for navigation.

SMALL FORMAT CHARTS ARE NOT CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS
These are up-to-date, NOAA charts simply enlarged in size so that the small dimension of the chart is 42”, the long dimension is proportionally enlarged. These charts are printed beyond full size, therefore the scale is not the same as the full size NOAA chart, however the scale bars on the charts are proportionally enlarged in size, and can be used for reference.

LARGE FORMAT CHARTS ARE NOT CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS

Other Options

  

BOOKLET CHARTS

Made to help recreational boaters locate themselves on the water. It has been reduced in scale for convenience, but otherwise contains all the information of the full-scale nautical chart. The bar scales have also been reduced, and are accurate when used to measure distances in these BookletCharts.

• Professionally printed and staple-bound using high quality, durable paper.

• Includes Notices to Mariners

• Printed on-demand with the latest data from NOAA

BOOKLET CHARTS ARE NOT CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS

DECORATIVE ANTIQUED CHARTS

This is a unique line of decorative charts prepared by Paradise Cay Publications.

  • This is an art piece prepared with the look of a well-used chart with the patina of antique parchment.
  • Printed on our high-quality heavy paper.
  • We have added an additional border to allow for framing.
  • Shipped rolled, never folded.

The short side of the chart is always printed at 36" and the long side will vary depending on the chart - please do not order framing prior to receiving the chart. These will memorialize your favorite coastal area in vintage style and we have added to the standard border of the typical NOAA chart to allow for a more professional, frame-ready presentation.

DECORATIVE CHARTS ARE NOT CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS