Celestial navigation, also known as
astronavigation, is the ancient art and science of position fixing that enables a navigator to transition through a space without having to rely on estimated calculations, or
dead reckoning, to know their position. Celestial
navigation uses "sights," or angular measurements taken between a celestial body (the sun, the moon, a planet or a star) and the visible horizon. The sun is most commonly used, but navigators can also use the moon, a planet or one of 57
navigational stars whose coordinates are tabulated in the
Nautical Almanac and Air Almanacs.