Navigation

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Navigation is the theory and practice of navigating: plotting, ascertaining, and charting the course of a ship or aircraft. From the Latin root "navigationem" meaning "to sail, sail over, go by sea, steer a ship."

Ocean-going navigation was difficult before the invention of the compass, with nearly all navigation taking place within sight of shore. Mariners could use the North Star on a clear night to get a rough sense of direction.

The invention of the sextant made it possible to determine latitude (i.e., distance from the Earth's north pole in degrees), but determination of longitude awaited the invention of an accurate sea-going chronometer.

Modern inventions such as LORAN and the GPS make it possible to determine a ship's precise position to within 50 feet.

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