The present text is designed for students of marine college navigation departments. It will also be an excellent guide for navigators. It presents the principles of spherical astronomy, information on the design and application of astronomical and computation instruments and devices, elucidates the methods of nautical astronomy, tells about marine astronomical almanacs and time service. The book contains practical advice concerning observations and the processing of nautical astronomy data.
Nautical Astronomy was written by two prominent Soviet specialists in the field. At the time of the original 1970 publication in the Soviet Union, Boris Krasatsev was an Associate Professor of the Chair of Astronomy at the Leningrad Marine Engineering College named after Admiral Makarov. He is one of the authors of the Handbook for Navy Navigators, which is very popular among Soviet seamen. Professor Boris Khlyustin, Doctor of Naval Sciences, is the author of a well-known text on nautical astronomy and of a number of scientific papers.