Weems & Plath Marine Navigation Star Finder 2102-D

You would have to carry volume 1 of the of Pub 249 to do what the 2102-D does. Not accurate enough for celestial navigation but will help you set up for taking sextant shots.

The Rude Star Finder is used for maritime studies

Took me a bit to figure out how to use it, once you do its a cinch. Careful adding the clear plates to n/s disk though, its touchy.

This is a useful tool for celestial Navigation. You can use it to pre-compute your stars at star time or to identify a star that you do not know if you know time. The directions are lacking and a good knowledge of celestial navigation is needed in order for this tool to be used to its full potential.

I purchased this item as a navigational astronomy enthusiast, as a complement to my C.Plath sextant and Nautical Almanac. Sextants are bulky already, and stargazing or sight reduction holding both a sextant and my astronomy charts or books while trying to write annotations becomes a messy business. These charts really complement the Nautical Almanac nicely and condense what you need for sight reduction by providing a sky map for the navigational stars... this helps you get your bearings at any time and place. Discs are provided for different latitudes, both Northg and South (a plus given typical star finders are usually provided for a general mid latitude). By entering the Nautical Almanac for a specific UT and assuming a DR position (if you got this far you probably know what I'm talking about), you can spin the discs to the LHA and you'll get a representation of what the sky above you looks like. Additionally, a separate disc is provided to make reverse calculations, so as to determine the name of a star based on its Az and height (the disc will give you the star's dec and hour angle/RA, with which you can go back to the Nautical Almanac and quickly find the star's name). This is a great tool and a must to keep together with my sextant for any sky observations.

The navigation notes on the sleeve were very useful.

Excellent, despite the years W&Plath has managed to maintain the quality.

It can be used for astronomy observers, but it is a bit more oriented toward celestial navigation - based on the units used on the dial.