Before the days of GPS, the use of the sun, moon and the stars were the only means of finding out where on earth you were.  Since this was essential for travel, exploration and trade, man used all his ingenuity to devise methods of determining his location. 

This has culminated in the invention of the sextant, the chronometer, slide rule and books of mathematical and astronomical data.   In this interesting presentation we show how these instruments were used for over 200 years as the only method available by explorers and traders, to chart and access the four corners of the world.

Our Presenter  –  David Nicolson BE
David is a retired electronics engineer and traces his fascination in astronomy back to his father who was a navigation officer in the Second World War.  As a spin off from this interest, David opened an astronomical observatory located in the Chittering Valley in 1994, the first such commercial facility in Western Australia.  In 2000 he became a founding board member of the Gravity Discovery Centre in Gingin and opened the Southern Cross Cosmos Centre for astronomy tours in 2001.  Although not directly involved with the observatory anymore, he still contributes to astronomical events when time permits. 

David has had a keen interest in celestial navigation and brings great knowledge and enthusiasm to his talks.  He is a terrific and fun communicator and has a collection of astronomical tools that he brings along for people to see, including a sextant, slide rule and other age-old instruments.

Navigating by the Stars – $500