locations. For example - the North star serves as a guide to the
direction north because this star always appears to be in the same
place over the north pole. The earth's spinning motion makes the sky
seem to rotate each night. Observers who are north of the equator see
the star rotate around a point that is above the north pole. The north
stare is near this point in the sky and so seems to moves very little.
The north star can also be used to measure latitude. A sextant issued
to measure the angle at which the star appears above the northern
horizon. This angle is same as that of latitude. For example : at 45
degree north latitude, the north star is at an angle of 45 above the
northern horizon.
Pilots and sailors measure their position by means of celestial
navigation. The method depends on the idea that a star is directly
over some point on the earth's surface at a given time. The earthly
position of a star changes as the star appears to move from east to
west.
A book called an almanac lists the earthly position of various
stars at different times.
To determine their location, observers measure the angle of the star
with a sextant and note the exact time of the measurement. Then thay
look up the star's earthly position in an almanac. They use the angle
of star to determine how far their location is from the star's earthly
position. By repeating the process with two more stars, they can find
their lacation.