Naval Academy To Teach Celestial Navigation Again

Published October 15, 2015 at 1:45 PM EDT

U.S. Navy officer Jonathan Myers explains to his colleague April Beldo how to use a marine sextant during a demonstration of celestial navigation. (Photography by T. K. Mendoza courtesy U.S. Navy)

The ancient art of navigating by the stars is making a comeback at the U.S. Naval Academy. The academy did away with teaching classes on celestial navigation in 1998 and replaced it with GPS and satellite technology.

The decision to bring back celestial navigation comes after the escalation of hacking threats. Frank Reed is an expert in celestial navigation. He tells Here & Now’s Robin Young about the Navy’s decision and the pros and cons of modern and ancient navigation techniques.

Guest

Frank Reed, expert in celestial navigation. He’s owner of Reed Navigation and an instructor at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.