For precise celestial navigation to determine True North using celestial objects like the North Star (Polaris), you’ll need to perform additional calculations based on the observed altitude and azimuth of the celestial body and correct for various factors such as atmospheric refraction and dip. This involves more complex mathematics and is typically done using sight reduction tables or software designed for celestial navigation.
To determine True North using celestial navigation, you can use the following basic formula:
- True North is the direction toward the geographic North Pole.Magnetic North is the direction toward which a magnetic compass points (measured in degrees).
- Magnetic Variation, also known as magnetic declination, is the angular difference in degrees between Magnetic North and True North, and it can be either east (E) or west (W) depending on your location.