celestial navigation
Americannoun
noun
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Navigation of a ship or aircraft based on the observed positions of celestial bodies.
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See more at altazimuth coordinate system
Etymology
Origin of celestial navigation
First recorded in 1935–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She also knows celestial navigation and how to plot a course.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025
Some examples of ancient TEK include midwifery, celestial navigation and fish conservation.
From Scientific American • Aug. 1, 2023
Sitting there, appreciating Aiken’s wry assessment of his own uncertain celestial navigation, I wondered what he would make of his hometown’s road map from past to present to future.
From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2022
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
You tell me to follow your rules of celestial navigation.
From Flowers of Freethought (First Series) by Foote, G. W. (George William)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
