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
Dr. Sharvit speculated that, lacking compasses, astrolabes or sextants, seafarers in the 14th century B.C. probably relied on celestial navigation, taking sightings and angles of the sun and star positions.
From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024
Other, broader impacts could affect life worldwide: the presence of satellites contributes to a background glow in the sky that can disorient animals that rely on celestial navigation.
From Scientific American • Jun. 2, 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.
