starguidance

Starguidance is the practice of using celestial bodies, particularly stars, to provide orientation, navigation, or decision-making guidance. In navigation, it refers to celestial navigation—estimating position and course using star sightings, the sun, moon, and planets.

Historically, many seafaring cultures relied on starguidance. Sailors used instruments such as the sextant and octant to measure the altitude of stars above the horizon and determine latitude. Key reference stars, including Polaris in the northern sky and the Southern Cross in the southern sky, helped maintain a directional frame of reference. Star charts and astronomical tables supported calculations of longitude prior to accurate chronometers.

Modern practice retains the concept in two main forms. For spacecraft and some high-precision robotics, star trackers compare live images of stars with a catalog to determine orientation, or attitude. For terrestrial travel, celestial navigation is taught as a backup method and remains in use in training programs and by enthusiasts when digital navigation systems fail.

In astronomy education and popular science, starguidance can also describe the intuitive use of star patterns to locate constellations, seasons, and celestial events, helping observers orient themselves in the night sky.

See also: Celestial navigation, star tracker, sextant, Polaris.