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135-533: Aldershot observatory is a circular red-brick building with a domed roof standing on Queens Avenue in Aldershot Military Town near Aldershot , England, home to the British Army since circa 1854. Inside is an 8-inch (203 mm) refracting telescope on a German-type equatorial mount with a clockwork drive which will run for about 2 hours without rewinding, this has a facility to vary

270-547: A database of known pulsar frequencies and locations. Similar to GNSS, this comparison would allow the vehicle to triangulate its position accurately (±5 km). The advantage of using X-ray signals over radio waves is that X-ray telescopes can be made smaller and lighter. On 9 November 2016 the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched an experimental pulsar navigation satellite called XPNAV 1 . SEXTANT (Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology)

405-400: A day or two of instruction and practice, even using manual calculation methods. Modern practical navigators usually use celestial navigation in combination with satellite navigation to correct a dead reckoning track, that is, a course estimated from a vessel's position, course, and speed. Using multiple methods helps the navigator detect errors and simplifies procedures. When used this way,

540-578: A free tabloid, ceased publication. Following the demolition of the Theatre Royal and Hippodrome theatres in 1959 and 1961, the local council opened its own Princes Hall in 1973 as an entertainment venue. Another entertainment venue and arts centre is the West End Centre on Queens Road which is popular for small-scale theatre, music and comedy. Sam Leach, their then agent and wanting to become their manager, attempted to introduce

675-429: A general Military Festival. Events were held across the town, including an art exhibition, live music, sports events and film screenings. In 1914, Aldershot had the largest army camp in the country with 20% of the British Army being based in and around the town. Aldershot was home for two Infantry Divisions and a Cavalry Brigade in addition to large numbers of artillery, engineers, service corps and medical services. At

810-498: A loose conurbation , which also includes other towns such as Camberley and Farnborough – has a population of 243,344; it is the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK . Aldershot is known as the Home of the British Army , a connection which led to its rapid growth from a small village to a Victorian town. The name is likely to have derived from alder trees found in the area (from

945-465: A mecca for Hardcore, and it was regularly sold out during this time. At the height of the club's popularity, a teenager's death from a suspected overdose of ecstasy was the catalyst that saw dance music leaving the club and had a negative impact on the hardcore dance scene in the Aldershot area. Union Street and Wellington Street at the centre of the town's shopping district were pedestrianised in

1080-401: A method of determining time at the prime meridian. A functioning timepiece with a second hand or digit, an almanac with lunar corrections, and a sextant are used. With no knowledge of time at all, a lunar calculation (given an observable Moon of respectable altitude) can provide time accurate to within a second or two with about 15 to 30 minutes of observations and mathematical reduction from

1215-441: A moving platform under fair conditions, can achieve a practical accuracy of approximately 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km, enough to navigate safely when out of sight of land or other hazards. Practical celestial navigation usually requires a marine chronometer to measure time, a sextant to measure the angles, an almanac giving schedules of the coordinates of celestial objects, a set of sight reduction tables to help perform

1350-439: A navigator checked their chronometer(s) with their sextant at a geographic marker surveyed by a professional astronomer. This is now a rare skill, and most harbormasters cannot locate their harbor's marker. Ships often carried more than one chronometer. Chronometers were kept on gimbals in a dry room near the center of the ship. They were used to set a hack watch for the actual sight, so that no chronometers were ever exposed to

1485-449: A navigator, from time to time, measures the Sun's altitude with a sextant, then compares that with a precalculated altitude based on the exact time and estimated position of the observation. On the chart, the straight edge of a plotter can mark each position line. If the position line indicates a location more than a few miles from the estimated position, more observations can be taken to restart

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1620-571: A prudent mariner never relies on any sole means of fixing their position, many national maritime authorities still require deck officers to show knowledge of celestial navigation in examinations, primarily as a backup for electronic or satellite navigation. One of the most common current uses of celestial navigation aboard large merchant vessels is for compass calibration and error checking at sea when no terrestrial references are available. In 1980, French Navy regulations still required an independently operated timepiece on board so that, in combination with

1755-415: A sextant, a ship's position could be determined by celestial navigation. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy continued instructing military aviators on celestial navigation use until 1997, because: The United States Naval Academy (USNA) announced that it was discontinuing its course on celestial navigation (considered to be one of its most demanding non-engineering courses) from the formal curriculum in

1890-459: A similar measurement of a star near the eastern or western horizons would provide the longitude . The problem is that the Earth turns 15 degrees per hour, making such measurements dependent on time. A measure a few minutes before or after the same measure the day before creates serious navigation errors. Before good chronometers were available, longitude measurements were based on the transit of

2025-410: A single observation of the exact altitude of the Sun and the exact time of that altitude (known as "local noon")—the highest point of the Sun above the horizon from the position of the observer in any single day. This angular observation, combined with knowing its simultaneous precise time, referred to as the time at the prime meridian, directly renders a latitude and longitude fix at the time and place of

2160-410: A tilting ship, or indeed a moving vehicle of any kind). Two useful methods evolved during the 18th century and are still practiced today: lunar distance , which does not involve the use of a chronometer, and the use of an accurate timepiece or chronometer. Presently, layperson calculations of longitude can be made by noting the exact local time (leaving out any reference for daylight saving time ) when

2295-592: A triangle where the exact position is inside of it. The accuracy of the sights is indicated by the size of the triangle. Joshua Slocum used both noon sight and star sight navigation to determine his current position during his voyage, the first recorded single-handed circumnavigation of the world. In addition, he used the lunar distance method (or "lunars") to determine and maintain known time at Greenwich (the prime meridian), thereby keeping his "tin clock" reasonably accurate and therefore his position fixes accurate. Celestial navigation can only determine longitude when

2430-654: A variety of uses before being redeveloped as flats. Aldershot railway station is a stop on the Alton Line ; South Western Railway runs services between London Waterloo , Alton , Guildford and Ascot . Aldershot is close to several major roads, including the M3 and the A3 . Its nearest dual-carriageway roads are the A31 to the south, which heads east towards Guildford and the A3; to

2565-673: Is Aldershot Town who compete in the Football Conference . Before 1992 the local club was Aldershot , which folded on 25 March 1992, while playing in the Football League Fourth Division . The current club was formed shortly afterwards and achieved five promotions in its first 16 seasons to return to the Football League in 2008. The previous Aldershot club's biggest success arguably came in 1987, just five years before closure, when they became

2700-677: Is a NASA -funded project developed at the Goddard Space Flight Center that is testing XNAV on-orbit on board the International Space Station in connection with the NICER project, launched on 3 June 2017 on the SpaceX CRS-11 ISS resupply mission. Celestial navigation training equipment for aircraft crews combine a simple flight simulator with a planetarium . An early example

2835-496: Is a bit of a mystery. It was, apparently, used in the training of officers in astronavigation . The telescope may also have been employed in monitoring experimental flights from HM Balloon Factory established at nearby Farnborough in 1908 (later to become the Royal Aircraft Establishment ). Over the last 100 years, many local amateur and professional astronomers have made use of the telescope. Before

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2970-661: Is also a Tesco superstore located at the rear of the development. Aldershot has many parks, playgrounds and open spaces for sport, play and leisure, including Aldershot Park , Brickfields Country Park , the Municipal Gardens , Manor Park and the Princes Gardens , the latter three a short walk from the town centre. The legacy of the Army has meant that the land for leisure use, as well as protected areas for flora and fauna, has been preserved over many years. On

3105-577: Is commonly known, is the Aldershot Military Stadium, Aldershot. Blackwater Valley Runners are a social running club and organise many local races. Opened in 1930, Aldershot Lido is a traditional outdoor leisure pool that contains 1.5 million gallons of water situated on a 10-acre (4.0 ha) site. The original land was a lake that had become overgrown with weeds. It was bought by the Borough Council in 1920 for £21,000 and

3240-435: Is controlled by a pulley and rope loop, as is the dome opening mechanism. The dome opening is triangular in shape, a design which limits the usefulness of the telescope because the area of sky visible reduces sharply as the telescope is pointed to the zenith. Early photographs show the telescope to have been light green in colour. It is now painted a dark British army green. Major maintenance took place in 1987; this resulted in

3375-410: Is directly related to the distance between the celestial body's GP and the observer's position. After some computations, referred to as " sight reduction," this measurement is used to plot a line of position (LOP) on a navigational chart or plotting worksheet, with the observer's position being somewhere on that line. The LOP is actually a short segment of a very large circle on Earth that surrounds

3510-474: Is in some doubt. There are hopes that nearby streetlights might be lowered and shielded to reduce interference with observations, but in truth the instrument is little used and interest in the observatory is mainly historical. The number of soldiers based at Aldershot is being greatly reduced. The Army is expected to withdraw entirely from the area that currently surrounds the observatory and the land will be redeveloped with private housing. In its current location,

3645-1070: Is located 5 miles (8.0 km) away, with Heathrow 29 miles (47 km) and Gatwick 43 miles (69 km) away. There are various schools in Aldershot. These will be joined by two new primary schools being built as part of the Aldershot Urban extension development of 3,850 houses. This development will also be served by a further 675 secondary school places being created at the Alderwood and Wavell schools. A mix of infants and juniors exists, including Park Primary School and St Michael's (C of E). The infant schools are Talavera, Wellington Primary, and Bell Vue Infant School. Junior schools include: Newport County, Talavera, Wellington Secondary and St Joseph's Primary (Catholic). Aldershot has only one secondary school, Alderwood School (formerly Heron Wood School and The Connaught School), though Ash Manor School , Farnham Heath End School , All Hallows Catholic School and The Wavell School are all local. In

3780-410: Is principally of redbrick with some white stone masonry, surmounted by a cupola. There are three steps leading up to a heavy ornamental door. The dome was originally covered in a rubberoid material (modified bitumen) but in time this perished and the dome was rebuilt with copper cladding. The building today is generally in good condition. In the best traditions of Victorian engineering, the dome rotation

3915-438: Is reliable, offshore yachtsmen use celestial navigation as either a primary navigational tool or as a backup. Celestial navigation was used in commercial aviation up until the early part of the jet age; early Boeing 747s had a "sextant port" in the roof of the cockpit. It was only phased out in the 1960s with the advent of inertial navigation and Doppler navigation systems, and today's satellite-based systems which can locate

4050-604: Is the Link Celestial Navigation Trainer , used in the Second World War . Housed in a 45-foot (14 m) high building, it featured a cockpit accommodating a whole bomber crew (pilot, navigator, and bombardier). The cockpit offered a full array of instruments , which the pilot used to fly the simulated airplane. Fixed to a dome above the cockpit was an arrangement of lights, some collimated , simulating constellations , from which

4185-533: The Battle of Waterloo . It took thirty men over three years to finish the project. Originally, in 1846, the statue was erected at Hyde Park Corner , London on the Wellington Arch . However, Decimus Burton , architect of the arch, had tried to veto this plan for his preferred "figure in a four horse chariot". Many agreed with Decimus Burton that the statue looked ridiculous since it was out of proportion. It

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4320-525: The Bloody Sunday massacre. The only army officer killed was Captain Gerry Weston, a Catholic British Army chaplain. An area to be developed into a memorial garden was used to mark the 40th anniversary of the bombing in 2012. Aldershot Military Town is located between Aldershot and North Camp near Farnborough . It is a garrison town that serves as the location for the military presence in

4455-470: The Merchant Marine . It is also taught at Harvard , most recently as Astronomy 2. Celestial navigation continues to be used by private yachtsmen, and particularly by long-distance cruising yachts around the world. For small cruising boat crews, celestial navigation is generally considered an essential skill when venturing beyond visual range of land. Although satellite navigation technology

4590-662: The Old English 'alor-sceat' meaning copse, or projecting piece of land, featuring alder trees). Any settlement, though not mentioned by name, would have been included as part of the Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. The Church of St Michael the Archangel is the parish church for the town and dates to the 12th century with later additions. There was almost certainly an earlier church on

4725-636: The Parachute Regiment from its formation in 1940 until it moved to Colchester Garrison in 2003. Many famous people have been associated with the Military Town, including Charlie Chaplin , who made his first stage appearance in The Canteen theatre aged 5 in 1894, and Winston Churchill , who was based there in the late 19th century during his time in the Army. The area also houses various military and regimental museums, including

4860-524: The Prince Consort's Library , which still exists today. To celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, 25,000 British and Colonial soldiers marched from Laffan's Plain near Farnborough, reviewed by Queen Victoria. Beside the British soldiers, marched men from Canada, India, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Aldershot Military Town comes under its own military jurisdiction. It was home to

4995-560: The Prince of Wales handed over the monument to Lieutenant General Anderson, the commander of the Aldershot Garrison. The observatory is a circular red-brick building with a domed roof, and it stands on Queen's Avenue. Inside is a telescope , 8-inch refractor , mounted on a German-type equatorial mount with a clockwork drive. The telescope and observatory building were a gift from aviation pioneer Patrick Young Alexander to

5130-800: The Royal Army Physical Training Corps Museum and the Aldershot Military Museum , housed in a red-brick Victorian barracks. Until December 2007, the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum was in Aldershot. It has since moved to the Imperial War Museum Duxford . The RAMC Memorial to the 314 men of the Royal Army Medical Corps who lost their lives in the Boer War of 1899-1902 is located at

5265-530: The Royal Logistic Corps and moved to Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut . Queen Victoria and Prince Albert showed a keen interest in the establishment and development of Aldershot as a garrison town in the 1850s, at the time of the Crimean War . They had a wooden Royal Pavilion built, where they would often stay when attending reviews of the army. In 1860, Albert established and endowed

5400-561: The Surrey border can be found Rowhill Nature Reserve which is popular with nature-lovers, dog owners, walkers and joggers. Aldershot has many sports facilities including the Rushmoor Gymnastics Academy, Aldershot Tennis Centre, Aldershot Bowling , Aldershot Pools and Lido , Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre, Alderwood Leisure Centre (formerly Connaught Leisure Centre) and Alpine Snow Sports (Dry Ski Centre). Formerly

5535-408: The celestial north pole . If a navigator measures the angle to Polaris and finds it to be 10 degrees from the horizon, then he is about 10 degrees north of the equator. This approximate latitude is then corrected using simple tables or almanac corrections to determine a latitude that is theoretically accurate to within a fraction of a mile. Angles are measured from the horizon because locating

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5670-401: The "Zero Meridian" at Greenwich, also known as UTC or GMT). Knowing UTC/GMT, a further set of sights can be taken and reduced by the navigator to calculate their exact position on the Earth as a local latitude and longitude. The considerably more popular method was (and still is) to use an accurate timepiece to directly measure the time of a sextant sight. The need for accurate navigation led to

5805-603: The 1970s when the Wellington Centre, a covered shopping centre, was built over the site of the town's former open-air market. As of 2020, Union Street East is undergoing regeneration; the project has been referred to as Union Yard. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Victorian shopping arcade and various other period buildings in Wellington Street were demolished to allow for the building of an extension to

5940-646: The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigades passed through Aldershot for training before being deployed for the defence of the United Kingdom while much of the British Army was overseas. Additional units of the Canadian Army followed later creating the largest force of British Commonwealth troops ever to be stationed in the UK at one time. The Aldershot riot of July 1945 caused considerable damage to

6075-477: The Army gave permission for the removal of the lens cell for refurbishment. By April 2000, the lens cell was replaced and the telescope fully restored and the larger of the surrounding trees had been removed. On 6 May 2000, the Aldershot Observatory was opened to the public for the first time ever, the event stimulating considerable local public interest in its future. The future of the observatory

6210-553: The Beatles to London agents by promoting shows at The Palais Ballroom, on the corner of Perowne Street and Queens Road in Aldershot on 9 December 1961. Leach wanted to organise a 'battle of the bands' between The Beatles and Ivor Jay and the Jaywalkers from London. The show was not advertised properly and, as a result, only 18 people attended. The local newspaper, The Aldershot News , failed to publish Leach's advertisement for

6345-621: The British Army, a fact which is recorded by a plaque near the observatory door. It reads: "Presented to the Aldershot Army Corps by Patrick Y Alexander Esq 1906". The former Wesleyan church on Grosvenor Road has a 100-foot tower that can be seen for miles around the town and which is described as " the only significant tower in the town". Opened in 1877, the church served the Methodists of Aldershot for over 100 years and could seat 1,150 people until its closure in 1988. Today

6480-542: The Crimean War and "wishing to be with her sons in the Army", Mary Seacole with her business partner Thomas Day is said to have arrived in Aldershot where they attempted to open a canteen. In her autobiography, Seacole wrote: 'We set to bravely at Aldershott to retrieve our fallen fortunes, and stem off the ruin originated in the Crimea, but all in vain...'. The venture is believed to have failed through lack of funds and

6615-427: The Earth's atmosphere . The immunity to jamming signals is the main driver behind this seemingly archaic technique. X-ray pulsar-based navigation and timing (XNAV) is an experimental navigation technique for space whereby the periodic X-ray signals emitted from pulsars are used to determine the location of a vehicle, such as a spacecraft in deep space. A vehicle using XNAV would compare received X-ray signals with

6750-502: The Earth's horizon, such as when the Moon and other selected bodies are used in the practice called "lunars" or the lunar distance method , used for determining precise time when time is unknown. Celestial navigation by taking sights of the Sun and the horizon whilst on the surface of the Earth is commonly used, providing various methods of determining position, one of which is the popular and simple method called "noon sight navigation"—being

6885-593: The Earth, whether on land, in the air, or at sea. In addition, observations between stars and other celestial bodies accomplished the same results while in space, – used in the Apollo space program and is still used on many contemporary satellites. Equally, celestial navigation may be used while on other planetary bodies to determine position on their surface, using their local horizon and suitable celestial bodies with matching reduction tables and knowledge of local time. For navigation by celestial means, when on

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7020-596: The GP of the observed celestial body. (An observer located anywhere on the circumference of this circle on Earth, measuring the angle of the same celestial body above the horizon at that instant of time, would observe that body to be at the same angle above the horizon.) Sights on two celestial bodies give two such lines on the chart, intersecting at the observer's position (actually, the two circles would result in two points of intersection arising from sights on two stars described above, but one can be discarded since it will be far from

7155-458: The Moon at the left of the Sun, and an observer at the Madeira point would see the Moon at the right of the Sun. Accurate angle measurement has evolved over the years. One simple method is to hold the hand above the horizon with one's arm stretched out. The angular width of the little finger is just over 1.5 degrees at extended arm's length and can be used to estimate the elevation of the Sun from

7290-559: The Sun and Moon were observed at their respective angles from the same location, the navigator would have to be located at one of the two locations where the circles cross. In this case, the navigator is either located on the Atlantic Ocean, about 350 nautical miles (650 km) west of Madeira , or in South America, about 90 nautical miles (170 km) southwest of Asunción , Paraguay. In most cases, determining which of

7425-488: The Sun is at its highest point in Earth's sky. The calculation of noon can be made more easily and accurately with a small, exactly vertical rod driven into level ground—take the time reading when the shadow is pointing due north (in the northern hemisphere). Then take your local time reading and subtract it from GMT ( Greenwich Mean Time), or the time in London, England. For example, a noon reading (12:00) near central Canada or

7560-580: The US would occur at approximately 6 p.m. (18:00) in London. The 6-hour difference is one quarter of a 24-hour day, or 90 degrees of a 360-degree circle (the Earth). The calculation can also be made by taking the number of hours (use decimals for fractions of an hour) multiplied by 15, the number of degrees in one hour. Either way, it can be demonstrated that much of central North America is at or near 90 degrees west longitude. Eastern longitudes can be determined by adding

7695-521: The Wellington Centre known as The Galleries. The Galleries has remained almost vacant for many years now and is currently under consideration for proposed redevelopment into a mixed use retail and residential scheme, with potential commercial leisure space. In 2003, a health check of the town centre concluded that, "Aldershot is experiencing promising signs of revitalisation, particularly in the shopping core". This revitalisation failed to materialise, with prominent traders such as Marks and Spencer leaving

7830-402: The adjacent image, the two circles on the map represent lines of position for the Sun and Moon at 12:00 GMT on October 29, 2005. At this time, a navigator on a ship at sea measured the Moon to be 56° above the horizon using a sextant . Ten minutes later, the Sun was observed to be 40° above the horizon. Lines of position were then calculated and plotted for each of these observations. Since both

7965-728: The aircraft's position accurate to a 3-meter sphere with several updates per second. A variation on terrestrial celestial navigation was used to help orient the Apollo spacecraft en route to and from the Moon. To this day, space missions such as the Mars Exploration Rover use star trackers to determine the attitude of the spacecraft. As early as the mid-1960s, advanced electronic and computer systems had evolved enabling navigators to obtain automated celestial sight fixes. These systems were used aboard both ships and US Air Force aircraft, and were highly accurate, able to lock onto up to 11 stars (even in daytime) and resolve

8100-478: The almanac tables. After practice, an observer can regularly derive and prove time using this method to within about one second, or one nautical mile, of navigational error due to errors ascribed to the time source. An example illustrating the concept behind the intercept method for determining position is shown to the right. (Two other common methods for determining one's position using celestial navigation are longitude by chronometer and ex-meridian methods.) In

8235-480: The altitude of the Sun at noon (the "noon sight") or by measuring the altitudes of any other celestial body when crossing the meridian (reaching its maximum altitude when due north or south), and frequently by measuring the altitude of Polaris , the north star (assuming it is sufficiently visible above the horizon, which it is not in the Southern Hemisphere ). Polaris always stays within 1 degree of

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8370-563: The angle between the Moon and the Sun or between the Moon and one of several stars near the ecliptic . The observed angle must be corrected for the effects of refraction and parallax, like any celestial sight. To make this correction, the navigator measures the altitudes of the Moon and Sun (or another star) at about the same time as the lunar distance angle. Only rough values for the altitudes are required. A calculation with suitable published tables (or longhand with logarithms and graphical tables) requires about 10 to 15 minutes' work to convert

8505-499: The area having his headquarters nearby in Farnborough , and there were sightings of Spring-heeled Jack . In 1854, at the time of the Crimean War , Aldershot Garrison was established as the first permanent training camp for the British Army . This led to a rapid expansion of Aldershot's population, going from 875 in 1851 to in excess of 16,000 by 1861 (including about 9,000 from the military). Mrs Louisa Daniell arrived in

8640-610: The area was heathland with the only building in sight being the Union Poor House , built in 1629 as a sub-manor for the Tichborne family and later used as the local workhouse and a school. It was one of five permanent local buildings purchased by the War Department in 1854 as part of the development of the new Aldershot Camp, and was used by the Army from 1854 to 1879 as No 2 Station Hospital. In later years, it saw

8775-779: The area. It houses Aldershot Garrison's married quarters, barracks, Army playing fields and other sporting facilities. The military town includes some local landmarks, such as the Aldershot Observatory , Aldershot Military Cemetery , the Union Building , the Royal Garrison Church and other churches. Until 1993, the town served as headquarters for the Royal Corps of Transport and the Army Catering Corps , until they were merged into

8910-419: The average vessel at sea. Although most recently only used by sextant hobbyists and historians, it is now becoming more common in celestial navigation courses to reduce total dependence on GNSS systems as potentially the only accurate time source aboard a vessel. Designed for use when an accurate timepiece is not available or timepiece accuracy is suspect during a long sea voyage, the navigator precisely measures

9045-455: The barracks was carried out between 1961 and 1969 by the architecture and engineering firm Building Design Partnership . The work was sped up under government pressure, and various new building technologies were employed with mixed success. In 1974, Aldershot borough, which had been based at Aldershot Town Hall , merged with Farnborough urban district to form the Borough of Rushmoor under

9180-524: The bomber to practice lining up bombing targets. A team of operators sat at a control booth on the ground below the machine, from which they could simulate weather conditions such as wind or clouds. This team also tracked the airplane's position by moving a "crab" (a marker) on a paper map. The Link Celestial Navigation Trainer was developed in response to a request made by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1939. The RAF ordered 60 of these machines, and

9315-404: The building and the observatory was neglected. At some point the observatory was broken into by thieves who stole the sighting telescope, a modern replacement has since been installed. In 1998 the observatory was rediscovered by a local amateur astronomer. Work started on cleaning the interior which was by then covered in dust, dirt and leaves. The telescope itself was in working condition, in 1999

9450-412: The bulk of the work being carried out by local labour. Work proceeded apace until a long, accurate straight edge was required so that the dome could be correctly positioned. Finding such an edge proved difficult and attracted some publicity at the time. The problem was soon overcome. On 26 August 1906 the dome, which also had been designed by Grubb, was installed and over the next three months, the telescope

9585-474: The church of St Michael's down to the area around the present Brickfields Country Park while the grange itself was near the church. John Norden 's map of Hampshire, published in the 1607 edition of William Camden 's Britannia , indicates that Aldershot was a market town. Prior to 1850, Aldershott was little known. The area was a vast stretch of common land , a lonely wasteland unsuitable for most forms of agriculture with scant population. As it existed at

9720-447: The concept illustrated in the example in the "How it works" section above.) Two other methods of reducing sights are the longitude by chronometer and the ex-meridian method. While celestial navigation is becoming increasingly redundant with the advent of inexpensive and highly accurate satellite navigation receivers ( GNSS ), it was used extensively in aviation until the 1960s and marine navigation until quite recently. However, since

9855-541: The confines of Aldershot Military Museum . Aldershot#Aldershot Military Town Aldershot ( / ˈ ɔː l d ər ʃ ɒ t / AWL -dər-shot ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire , England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, 31 mi (50 km) south-west of London . The town has a population of 37,131, while the Aldershot Urban Area –

9990-494: The copper dome and the instrument being repainted drab green. The original colour was a light blue/green used by the military on all instruments of the time (1940s). In November 2006 the electricity supply was disconnected as a savings measure. The location of the observatory can hardly be considered ideal for astronomical observations, even at the time of its construction. It is at a low elevation in an essentially urban setting of an army town with many nearby buildings that date from

10125-687: The core of the Army from 1914 onwards as well as treating the wounded brought back from the trenches in France and Flanders. The Cambridge Military Hospital was the first base hospital to receive casualties directly from the Western Front and it was here that plastic surgery was first performed in the British Empire by Captain Gillies (later Sir Harold Gillies ). From 1939 to 1945 during World War II , about 330,000 Canadian troops of

10260-524: The craft's position to less than 300 feet (91 m). The SR-71 high-speed reconnaissance aircraft was one example of an aircraft that used a combination of automated celestial and inertial navigation . These rare systems were expensive, however, and the few that remain in use today are regarded as backups to more reliable satellite positioning systems. Intercontinental ballistic missiles use celestial navigation to check and correct their course (initially set using internal gyroscopes) while flying outside

10395-400: The dead-reckoning track. In the event of equipment or electrical failure, taking Sun lines a few times a day and advancing them by dead reckoning allows a vessel to get a crude running fix sufficient to return to port. One can also use the Moon, a planet, Polaris , or one of 57 other navigational stars to track celestial positioning. Latitude was measured in the past either by measuring

10530-461: The development of progressively more accurate chronometers in the 18th century (see John Harrison ). Today, time is measured with a chronometer, a quartz watch , a shortwave radio time signal broadcast from an atomic clock , or the time displayed on a satellite time signal receiver. A quartz wristwatch normally keeps time within a half-second per day. If it is worn constantly, keeping it near body heat, its rate of drift can be measured with

10665-400: The development of the modern (Marcq St. Hilaire) intercept method ; with this method, the body height and azimuth are calculated for a convenient trial position and compared with the observed height. The difference in arcminutes is the nautical mile "intercept" distance that the position line needs to be shifted toward or away from the direction of the body's subpoint. (The intercept method uses

10800-427: The drive rate. The telescope and observatory building were a gift from aviation pioneer Patrick Young Alexander to the British Army, a fact which is recorded by a plaque near the observatory door. It reads: ‘Presented to the Aldershot Army Corps by Patrick Y Alexander Esq 1906’. In 1891, Patrick Alexander ordered the telescope from the well-known Victorian telescope makers Thomas and Howard Grubb of Dublin with all

10935-552: The east, the A331 which heads north towards Farnborough and the M3. Bus services from Aldershot are provided by Stagecoach South . Since the closure of Aldershot bus station in May 2023 passengers now access the bus services at various on-street stops around the town centre. National Express coach services operate between London Victoria and Portsmouth twice a day. Farnborough Airport

11070-592: The end of the 1930s, the event was raising around £40,000 annually. The Tattoo's modern format, the Army Show, was cancelled in 2010 by the Ministry of Defence due to budget cuts. It was briefly revived the following year and attracted 20,000 visitors. In 2012, it was styled as the Aldershot Garrison Show, a smaller free event held on Armed Forces Day . The Army Show was replaced in 2013 with

11205-436: The estimated position—see the figure at the example below). Most navigators will use sights of three to five stars, if available, since that will result in only one common intersection and minimize the chance of error. That premise is the basis for the most commonly used method of celestial navigation, referred to as the "altitude-intercept method." At least three points must be plotted. The plot intersection will usually provide

11340-437: The first Duke of Wellington mounted on his horse, Copenhagen, is situated on Round Hill behind the Royal Garrison Church. The statue is 30 ft (9.1 m) high, 26 ft (7.9 m) from nose to tail, over 22 ft (6.7 m) in girth, weighs 40 tons and is intricately detailed including musculature and veins. It was designed and built by Matthew Cotes Wyatt who used recycled bronze from cannons that were captured at

11475-662: The first team to win the Football League Fourth Division promotion play-offs, at the expense of a far bigger club – Wolverhampton Wanderers . Celestial navigation Celestial navigation uses "sights," or timed angular measurements, taken typically between a celestial body (e.g., the Sun , the Moon , a planet , or a star ) and the visible horizon . Celestial navigation can also take advantage of measurements between celestial bodies without reference to

11610-418: The height and azimuth computations, and a chart of the region. With sight reduction tables, the only calculations required are addition and subtraction. Small handheld computers, laptops and even scientific calculators enable modern navigators to "reduce" sextant sights in minutes, by automating all the calculation and/or data lookup steps. Most people can master simpler celestial navigation procedures after

11745-461: The horizon plane and therefore estimate the time until sunset. The need for more accurate measurements led to the development of a number of increasingly accurate instruments, including the kamal , astrolabe , octant , and sextant . The sextant and octant are most accurate because they measure angles from the horizon, eliminating errors caused by the placement of an instrument's pointers, and because their dual-mirror system cancels relative motions of

11880-502: The instrument, showing a steady view of the object and horizon. Navigators measure distance on the Earth in degrees , arcminutes , and arcseconds . A nautical mile is defined as 1,852 meters but is also (not accidentally) one arc minute of angle along a meridian on the Earth. Sextants can be read accurately to within 0.1 arcminutes, so the observer's position can be determined within (theoretically) 0.1 nautical miles (185.2 meters, or about 203 yards. Most ocean navigators, measuring from

12015-530: The lack of trying". After the gig, the band went on to London to join an after hours jam at the Blue Gardenia Club. Weeks after this Brian Epstein became the group's manager. At the end of the 1990s and the start of the 2000s, an underground scene of rock bands cropped up around Aldershot. Notable bands include Reuben , Vex Red , Inter and Hundred Reasons . The Palace (previously The Palace Cinema, The Rhythm Station, Cheeks, Vox), influenced

12150-670: The largest Buddhist community in the United Kingdom, a temple and community centre to cater for their spiritual and secular needs was required. The centre was formally opened on the High Street by the 14th Dalai Lama in June 2015. When a small party of NCOs and men of the Royal Engineers arrived in November 1853 in the area that is today Princes Gardens , they were the first soldiers to arrive in Aldershot. At this time,

12285-479: The local time to GMT, with similar calculations. An older but still useful and practical method of determining accurate time at sea before the advent of precise timekeeping and satellite-based time systems is called " lunar distances," or "lunars," which was used extensively for a short period and refined for daily use on board ships in the 18th century. Use declined through the middle of the 19th century as better and better timepieces (chronometers) became available to

12420-487: The manor of Aldershot is in 1573 in the will of Sir John White of Aldershot (c1512–1573), alderman of London and knighted when he became Lord Mayor of London (1563-4). He left Aldershot Manor to his son Sir Robert White of Aldershot (died 1599). He in turn left the manor to be divided between his two daughters, Ellen the wife of Sir Richard Tichborne and Mary, the wife of Sir Walter Tichborne , brother of Richard. The 18th-century jurist Charles Viner lived in

12555-423: The moon or the positions of the moons of Jupiter . For the most part, these were too difficult to be used by anyone except professional astronomers. The invention of the modern chronometer by John Harrison in 1761 vastly simplified longitudinal calculation. The longitude problem took centuries to solve and was dependent on the construction of a non-pendulum clock (as pendulum clocks cannot function accurately on

12690-425: The navigator determined the plane's position. The dome's movement simulated the changing positions of the stars with the passage of time and the movement of the plane around the Earth. The navigator also received simulated radio signals from various positions on the ground. Below the cockpit moved "terrain plates"—large, movable aerial photographs of the land below—which gave the crew the impression of flight and enabled

12825-473: The needs of the growing population. On 22 February 1972, Aldershot experienced the first in a series of mainland IRA attacks. Seven people, six of whom were civilian support staff, including five catering staff and a gardener were killed in a car bomb attack on the 16th Parachute Brigade headquarters mess . A further 19 people were injured. The bombing was claimed by the Official IRA as revenge for

12960-409: The observation by simple mathematical reduction. The Moon, a planet, Polaris , or one of the 57 other navigational stars whose coordinates are tabulated in any of the published nautical or air almanacs can also accomplish this same goal. Celestial navigation accomplishes its purpose by using angular measurements (sights) between celestial bodies and the visible horizon to locate one's position on

13095-451: The observatory will be an island in a sea of houses and some people fear that it will be targeted by vandals or, perhaps, will have to be protected with high, unsightly fences. Aldershot Observatory is a Grade II Listed building . This significantly restricts what can be done with the building. One possibility is to move the entire building a mile or so to the North where it can placed within

13230-401: The observed angle(s) to a geocentric lunar distance. The navigator then compares the corrected angle against those listed in the appropriate almanac pages for every three hours of Greenwich time, using interpolation tables to derive intermediate values. The result is a difference in time between the time source (of unknown time) used for the observations and the actual prime meridian time (that of

13365-489: The original complex of church, Soldiers' Home and Hall has been converted into offices, a dental surgery, gymnasium and homes. Aldershot Buddhist Centre is a Buddhist temple and community centre catering for the Buddhists of Aldershot and surrounding area, which is billed as the United Kingdom's first Buddhist community centre. With the influx of large numbers of Nepalis into the area in recent years giving Rushmoor

13500-426: The point directly overhead, the zenith , is not normally possible. When haze obscures the horizon, navigators use artificial horizons, which are horizontal mirrors or pans of reflective fluid, especially mercury. In the latter case, the angle between the reflected image in the mirror and the actual image of the object in the sky is exactly twice the required altitude. If the angle to Polaris can be accurately measured,

13635-599: The provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 . After a 2009 campaign , the British Government allowed veteran Gurkha soldiers who had served for more than four years, and their families, to settle in the UK. The rise in the Nepalese population led Gerald Howarth , Conservative Member of Parliament for Aldershot, to request government assistance in expanding local public services to meet

13770-423: The radio, and by compensating for this drift, a navigator can keep time to better than a second per month. When time at the prime meridian (or another starting point) is accurately known, celestial navigation can determine longitude, and the more accurately latitude and time are known, the more accurate the longitude determination. The angular speed of the Earth is latitude-dependent. At the poles, or latitude 90°,

13905-400: The rapid growth of the hardcore scene from 1992 to 1995. Weekly events included Fusion (Hectic Records) , Tazmania, Slammin' Vinyl and Future World. The club also groomed local talents such as DJ Sharkey , DJ Mystery, DJ Sy, DJ Unknown, Vinylgroover, DJ NS, Hixxy, MC Freestyle, MC Young, MC Smiley and Spyder MC. The location of Aldershot between Southampton and London meant the club became

14040-408: The rotation velocity of the Earth reaches zero. At 45° latitude, one second of time is equivalent in longitude to 1,077.8  ft (328.51  m ), or one-tenth of a second means 107.8 ft (32.86 m) At the slightly bulged-out equator, or latitude 0°, the rotation velocity of Earth or its equivalent in longitude reaches its maximum at 465.10  m/s (1,525.9  ft/s ). Traditionally,

14175-532: The second World War, observations of variable and double stars were carried out, often by local members of the British Astronomical Association. Most of the users particularly remember the telescope's fine performance on lunar and planetary detail. In early August 1933, local amateur astronomer Mr John Pettley observed the famous Great White Spot on Saturn on the same night that it was discovered by Will Hay and later observations of

14310-428: The show. In addition, Ivor Jay and the Jaywalkers failed to appear. However, the band and friends had their own fun after the show, drinking ale, playing football with bingo balls and dancing the foxtrot. The noise became so loud that a neighbour called the police who shut the event down. When interviewed in 1983 about the Aldershot gig, Paul McCartney described it as "the night we couldn't get arrested, but it wasn't for

14445-581: The site. Cistercian monks from the nearby Waverley Abbey established granges or farms on their outlying estates, including one at Aldershot by 1175 for sheep grazing. We do not know when monks from the Abbey first came to Aldershot but the first documentary evidence is from 1287 when the Crondall Rental records that at 'Alreshate the Monks of Waverlye hold 31 acres of encroachment'. This area ran from

14580-635: The spring of 1998. In October 2015, citing concerns about the reliability of GNSS systems in the face of potential hostile hacking , the USNA reinstated instruction in celestial navigation in the 2015 to 2016 academic year. At another federal service academy, the US Merchant Marine Academy, there was no break in instruction in celestial navigation as it is required to pass the US Coast Guard License Exam to enter

14715-575: The start of World War I , the units based at Aldershot became the 1st Corps of the British Expeditionary Force , and soon tens of thousands of new recruits came to the large training centre in the Camp. This had a great effect on the civilian town as there was a great shortage of accommodation for the troops and many were billeted in local houses and schools. Aldershot played a vital role in the formation of Kitchener's Army , providing

14850-410: The surface of the Earth at any given instant in time, a celestial body is located directly over a single point on the Earth's surface. The latitude and longitude of that point are known as the celestial body's geographic position (GP), the location of which can be determined from tables in the nautical or air almanac for that year. The measured angle between the celestial body and the visible horizon

14985-451: The telescope as they wished. A story now often repeated, is the recollection of a user who remembers that military regulations imposed at one time gave some difficulty: the key would be issued only between the hours of 9am and 5pm — the observatory had to be securely locked by 5:30 and the key returned! In 1979 the observatory was closed because of corrosion of the dome and defects in the dome traverse gear. Trees were allowed to grow up around

15120-402: The telescope was used to track pilot balloons released into the air, before releasing any main balloons; however, a telescope of this size and type seems ill-suited to such a task. In 1902 Patrick Alexander offered the telescope to the city of Bath , with all expenses paid to build an observatory, but Bath refused because the cost of upkeep would have to be paid by local taxpayers. The telescope

15255-426: The time at the prime meridian is accurately known. The more accurately time at the prime meridian (0° longitude) is known, the more accurate the fix; – indeed, every four seconds of time source (commonly a chronometer or, in aircraft, an accurate " hack watch ") error can lead to a positional error of one nautical mile . When time is unknown or not trusted, the lunar distance method can be used as

15390-427: The time of its construction. It is very near a road that is lit by streetlights, although this was somewhat ameliorated by a clockwork switch inside the observatory that would turn off the nearest streetlights for about 20 minutes. This clockwork system was upgraded in 1987. As the electricity supply has been removed in 2006, this facility is no longer available. Just what use the British Army made of their new telescope

15525-501: The time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, the extensive settlement of Crondall in the north-east corner of Hampshire was certainly Scandinavian, for among the customs of that great manor, which included Crondall, Yateley , Farnborough, and Aldershot, that of sole inheritance by the eldest daughter in default of sons prevailed, as over a large part of Cumberland, and this is a peculiarly Norse custom. The first recorded mention of

15660-598: The top of Gun Hill. An outline planning application has been agreed for the redevelopment of some of the former Military Town. The Aldershot Urban Extension will bring some 3,850 new homes, two new primary schools, a children's day-care centre, additional secondary school places, community facilities, waste recycling and landscaping to an area of 150 hectares. In 2013, the MoD announced a £100 million investment to expand Aldershot Garrison and bring 750 more service personnel and their families to settle in Aldershot. A statue of

15795-643: The town also hosted short circuit motor racing including speedway and stock car racing . Greyhound racing took place at Aldershot Stadium, and point-to-point racing at Tweseldown . Famous running club AFD has produced top runners. Aldershot Park hosts a number of sports facilities and organisations. Aldershot is home to arguably the most successful athletics club in British and European history, Aldershot, Farnham & District A.C. The club has produced many Olympians including Roger Hackney , Zola Budd , Lily Partridge and Steph Twell and specialises in middle – long distance running. The home of AFD , as it

15930-474: The town and printed his A General Abridgment of Law and Equity on a press in his home. In the 18th century, the stretch of the London to Winchester turnpike that passed through Aldershot between Bagshot and Farnham (now known as the Farnborough Road) was the scene of highway robberies. At one time it had "almost as bad a reputation as Hounslow Heath ". Dick Turpin is said to have operated in

16065-545: The town at this time and set up her Soldiers' Home and Institute to cater for the spiritual needs of the soldiers and their families. During this period Holy Trinity church , the Presbyterian church , the Wesleyan church and Rotunda chapel were built in the town centre to cater for the spiritual needs of the increasing numbers of troops in the nearby camp and the growing civilian town. In August 1856, on her return from

16200-563: The town centre when disgruntled Canadian troops tired of waiting to be repatriated rioted in the streets for two evenings. In a gesture of forgiveness and goodwill, the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot was conferred on the Canadian Army on 26 September 1945 in a ceremony held at the town's recreation ground . In the following year Aldershot's military prison the 'Glasshouse' was burned down in prison riots. A substantial rebuilding of

16335-425: The town centre. In 2005, Rushmoor Borough Council documented the percentage of vacant shops at 10%, 8% and 7% respectively for Union Street, the Wellington Centre and Wellington Street. The Westgate Leisure Park, which opened in 2012–2013 and which fronts onto Barrack Road, includes a Cineworld cinema, a Morrisons supermarket, and several chain restaurants, including Nando's , Mimosa and Pizza Express . There

16470-569: The town's West End can be found Rowhill School , a special school for students of secondary age unable to attend mainstream schooling for a variety of reasons. There are also two private schools, Salesian College and Farnborough Hill School in nearby Farnborough. The local press is the Aldershot News & Mail , a Surrey Advertiser Group broadsheet . At the end of November 2017, the Surrey-Hants Star Courier ,

16605-597: The two being declared bankrupt. The Aldershot Military Tattoo was an annual event dating back to 1894. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Aldershot Command Searchlight Tattoo held at the Rushmoor Arena presented displays from all branches of the services, including performances lit by flame torches. At one time the performances attracted crowds of up to 500,000 people. The Tattoo was organised to raise money for military charities. By

16740-408: The two displayed a different time, since in case of contradiction between the two chronometers, it would be impossible to know which one was wrong (the error detection obtained would be the same as having only one chronometer and checking it periodically: every day at noon against dead reckoning ). Three chronometers provided triple modular redundancy , allowing error correction if one of the three

16875-533: The two intersections is the correct one is obvious to the observer because they are often thousands of miles apart. As it is unlikely that the ship is sailing across South America, the position in the Atlantic is the correct one. Note that the lines of position in the figure are distorted because of the map's projection; they would be circular if plotted on a globe. An observer at the Gran Chaco point would see

17010-487: The usual fittings associated with a professional instrument of the time. It is not entirely clear where the telescope was first installed, accounts vary. It is probable that the telescope was first erected at one of Patrick Alexander's several private workshops in Bath: either 'DeMontalat Wood' or 'The Mount'. The telescope was a substantial instrument, which together with its mounting, must have weighed several tons. The telescope

17145-471: The white spot by Pettley appeared in several issues of the "English Mechanic" during September 1933. Since the end of the Second World War, use of the observatory has continued on an ad hoc basis. The army permitted the telescope to be used by interested amateurs provided only that they could demonstrate competence with the instrument; they were allowed to draw a key from a nearby guardroom and use

17280-445: The wind and salt water on deck. Winding and comparing the chronometers was a crucial duty of the navigator. Even today, it is still logged daily in the ship's deck log and reported to the captain before eight bells on the forenoon watch (shipboard noon). Navigators also set the ship's clocks and calendar. Two chronometers provided dual modular redundancy , allowing a backup if one ceases to work but not allowing any error correction if

17415-414: Was discovered in 1837 by Thomas Hubbard Sumner when, after one observation, he computed and plotted his longitude at more than one trial latitude in his vicinity and noticed that the positions lay along a line. Using this method with two bodies, navigators were finally able to cross two position lines and obtain their position, in effect determining both latitude and longitude. Later in the 19th century came

17550-483: Was fully equipped for astronomical observations and Patrick became a fellow member of the Royal Astronomical Society up until 1921. Although he enjoyed showing his telescope to friends and distinguished visitors, any interest he had in astronomy was overshadowed by his other aviation related passions — especially ballooning; the telescope was probably a scientific toy. Barry Bellinger suggests that

17685-491: Was later dismantled and stored, until a new location was found for it to be sited. In 1904 Alexander moved to 112 Mychett Road Mychett, Surrey. He installed the telescope in his back garden. In 1905 Patrick Alexander offered his telescope to the War Office, again including an offer to pay for the construction of an observatory. The offer was accepted and a site was chosen. Building work commenced with pegging out in 1906 with

17820-418: Was nicknamed "The Archduke" and was a popular topic in the satirical magazine Punch . Queen Victoria claimed that the statue ruined the view of the skyline from Buckingham Palace , and she privately proposed that the statue be moved. The Duke, who had only sat for the sculptor on two or three occasions, suddenly became very attached to the statue and would not consider its removal from its arch. In 1885,

17955-409: Was put in place and final construction work was completed. In December 1906 the Aldershot Observatory was officially opened. The ceremony was attended by Patrick Alexander, guests from Aldershot civic council and several high-ranking army officers. Local Aldershot News reports of the opening ceremony on 22 December 1906 show that no civic guests were invited. The building is of conventional design. It

18090-547: Was the focus of the council's improvement projects for the town. The Lido became an Olympic venue in 1948 when it was the site of the swimming event in the Modern Pentathlon of that year's London Olympic Games. The pool has extensive areas of shallow water for children to play including a large fountain at the centre. It also has a diving area and water slides. There is an adjoining 25 m indoor pool that allows all year round swimming. The local professional football team

18225-410: Was wrong, so the pilot would take the average of the two with closer readings (average precision vote). There is an old adage to this effect, stating: "Never go to sea with two chronometers; take one or three." Vessels engaged in survey work generally carried many more than three chronometers – for example, HMS Beagle carried 22 chronometers . The celestial line of position concept

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