This code project was written with these objectives
- Provide for a workable positioning tool when GPS is not available.
- As an exercise for myself in python coding, and elementary maths (geometry, vector/linear algebra, numerical methods).
- As an attempt to give evidence of the shape of the Earth.
The latter objective might seem strange, but I have followed some conspirationist movements during the last year, in particular Flat Earth. It is very obvious that celestial navigation provides one of the most solid evidence of a spheric Earth you can ever get, and this just by staying on the ground (or sail a ship at sea). No spaceflight is necessary, it can be performed in your backyard (using an artificial horizon) and this has been known for many centuries. By providing this sample I hope to give some more understanding of the concept. An even better way to learn is of course to study the techniques in the old-school way, as it has been practitioned on ships for many centuries, and a good start is to watch this tutorial on Youtube.
You may also watch a website I wrote dedicated to reasoning and challenging questions on Earth geometry, including a special challenge related to Celestial Navigation.