celestial navigation

American  

noun

1. navigation by means of observations made of the apparent position of heavenly bodies.

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celestial navigation British  

noun

1. Also called: astronavigation.  navigation by observation of the positions of the stars

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celestial navigation Scientific  

1. Navigation of a ship or aircraft based on the observed positions of celestial bodies.

2. See more at altazimuth coordinate system

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Etymology

Origin of celestial navigation

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

The great and the small collide when the Tu‘itonga’s two younger children surprisingly appear on Bird Island, led by the middle son, a “wayfinder” who has learned the sacred craft of celestial navigation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

Some examples of ancient TEK include midwifery, celestial navigation and fish conservation.

From Scientific American • Aug. 1, 2023

To top it off, the crew managed this feat without the aid of maps or radio contact, using only celestial navigation and an atlas obtained from a library in New Zealand.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2021

The head looks upward into the sky to symbolize celestial navigation, and the post celebrates past explorers who had ventured to the arrowroot-colored continent.

From New York Times • Jul. 2, 2021

With the compass gone they would have to depend entirely upon celestial navigation.

From Dave Dawson on Guadalcanal by Bowen, Robert Sydney