ASA 117, Basic Celestial Endorsement

Earn your official ASA 117 certification by completing this online course from Starpath.

Course Materials Included

Instructors & Discussion Groups

ASA Certification

1 Year Access

Learn to apply basic celestial navigation theory and practice to determine latitude and longitude at sea using only a sextant, a watch, and a Nautical Almanac. Gain confidence and self-reliance as a mariner by learning how to implement these basic celestial navigation skills needed to make your way to safely across open seas.

ASA 117, Basic Celestial Endorsement - Online Course

Course OVERVIEW

Ocean travelers understand the importance of being prepared for all situations. But not all mariners desire to know celestial navigation to the level our parents and grandparents once needed. GPS is now more reliable, and indeed dependable, although certainly not infallible. The ASA 117, Basic Celestial Navigation Course offers an efficient and quick way to gain basic celestial knowledge to employ as a back up should standard navigation aids fail.

Learn fundamental celestial navigation techniques necessary for navigating across oceans using minimal tools—a small book, a watch, and a sextant of your choice. This course teaches the basic knowledge of using a traditional sextant and Nautical Almanac, without the use of a programmed calculator or computer, to determine latitude and longitude at sea. During this course, which can be taken as a prerequisite for the ASA 107, Advanced Coastal Cruising Course, the following topics will be covered:

» USE OF A MARK 3 SEXTANT.
An extensive overview of the Mark 3 Sextant and how to use it in conjunction with a Nautical Almanac, without the use of a programmed calculator or computer:

» TIMEKEEPING AND LATITUDE AT LAN.
Finding latitude at meridian passage (LAN) by applying sextant corrections for conversions:

» LONGITUDE AT LAN.
Understanding the concepts and principles for calculating the zone time at a given longitude:

» LATITUDE FROM POLARIS.
Determine the vessel’s latitude and estimated position by determining the altitudes of Sun and Polaris:

» PREDICT LAN TIME & UPS PLOTTING.

Students looking for a more comprehensive introduction to celestial navigation should consider ASA 107, Celestial Navigation.

COURSE LENGTH & PREREQUISITES

This course requires the student to have already completed ASA 105, Coastal Navigation.

You can reasonably expect to spend approximately 5 to 10 hours on this course, depending on how much optional material you choose to cover. You will have the option to control how much work you do during each session and work at your own pace.

ASA 117 ENDORSEMENT

Students who complete the online course and pass the final exam will be awarded an official ASA 117 endorsement and seal for their logbook.

COURSE ACCESSIBILITY

This course can be accessed from any computer (Windows or Mac) with an internet connection. Work through the lessons, assignments and quizzes in the interactive online classroom and, when you are away from the computer, study with the printed study materials.

This course includes the opportunity to submit your sextant sight data for analysis if the results are not within specified uncertainties to help determine why, based on a series of sights, results may be inaccurate.

The electronic components of this course allow you to take it with you anywhere! Take it with you as you travel, or use it as a resource to search the complete set of materials for specific topics. If you prefer to work on your own without computers, you will have a complete syllabus with practice exercises and answers in the printed materials. For added structure to your training, take part in the online discussions and individual quizzes for each lesson.

COURSE MATERIALS - WHAT'S INCLUDED

COURSE MATERIALS

All necessary materials will be provided, including a series of tables designed to make the process of finding latitude and longitude fast and easy. Additional resources and study materials include GPS Backup with a Mark 3 Sextant textbook as well as access to e-Book How To Use Plastic Sextants.

INSTRUCTORS & DISCUSSION GROUPS

Each Starpath course includes free access to online resources and discussion groups. Starpath has instructors in three different time zones monitoring these groups so, should any question arise, simply post it in the Student Discussion Forum for a quick answer — or search the forum to see if an answer to your question already exists.

ASA Certification

A certification & seal for your logbook.

1 year access

You have one year to complete the course or request an extension.

Other Starpath Courses

ASA 105

Coastal Navigation

Learn practical navigation on inland and coastal waters, including chart reading, piloting, and more.

ASA 107

Celestial Navigation

Learn practical celestial navigation and other aspects of safe ocean navigation.

ASA 117

Basic Celestial Endorsement

Learn to apply basic celestial navigation theory and to determine latitude and longitude at sea.

ASA 119

Marine Weather Endorsement

Learn to observe and forecast weather conditions using traditional maritime skills and modern technology.

ASA 120

Radar Endorsement

Learn to properly use small-craft radar (or radar simulator) for piloting, navigation, and collision avoidance.