| > Curious how navigation at night was not possible without expensive equipment, sounds like they were relying only on starts in the morning and evening? As a sibling comment notes, it is possible. There are tables for lunar distance: * https://thenauticalalmanac.com/Lunar_Distance_Tables.html * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_distance_(navigation) * https://www.starpath.com/resources2/brunner-lunars.pdf The planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be used, as well as several dozen planets (lookup tables in an almanac) * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautical_almanac * https://thenauticalalmanac.com Two US military videos explaining the theory (ground points/GP, circle of position, etc): * USAF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV1V9-nnaAs * Army: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4DRBi66cOA The USAF has a video because that's how planes used to do navigation outside of radio range—sextants on the ceiling of the cockpit: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7gAiI79nOY * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc3rAlCDf54 |