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    CelNav for MSFS - Image 2

    Description

    Description
    This add-on for MSFS simulates the basic function of an airborne sextant or octant. It allows the practice and application of Astro navigating in MSFS by the Sun, Moon, the four navigational Planets and over 50 stars.

    But why?
    Air navigation by sextant is an art to is about to go extinct. This is my modest contribution to keep the art alive and bring it into reach of a greater audience.

    Installation 
    Unzip the file to a folder of your choice. 

    You need to have Mobiflight installed!!

    Use
    This add-on runs outside of MSFS. It requires some alt-TAB. 

    Run the application after running MSFS.

    This add-on may be use with any aircraft, ship, or car in MSFS.

    Tutorial
    The zip file contains an extremely detailed step-by-step guide with sources and references. 

    This is advanced stuff. Be prepared. 

    Included and excluded
    The add-on includes the following effects and corrections:

    •           Index Error
    •           Random user error
    •           Coriolis correction
    •           Refraction
    •           2-minute shooting time 
    •           Cannot shoot bodies below horizon
    •           Cannot shoot stars & planets in until nautical twilight

    The data file is valid for dates from March 1900 to February 2100.

    Not included are Precession and nutation,  semi-diameter, dip. Parallax for the Moon only. 

    Video
    A very short video on its use during a very long flight is here:VIDEO

    A new video to help filling the forms is here: Video 

    Limitations
    The add-on does not check for visibility through fog and clouds. 

    Discord support
    No support is offered beyond a discord channel “MSFS Astro Navigators Lounge”: DISCORD

    Acknowledgement
    A big and special thanks to Capt. Arash, Alyson Johnson, Papa_red, Andrew Crowley, piedmonitor, Rob Jones and many others for their endorsement, testing and dev support of the add-on and to Tom Harnish for his superb improvement of the step-by-step guide

    Please send suggestions to the discord channel.

     

    July 2021, Eric van der Veen.

    52°04’N,  4°14’E (Approximately)

    Comments(49)

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    about 1 month ago

    wont let me launch it and it says "Unsupported Operand type"

    16 days ago

    Did you install the Mobiflight event module?

    11 months ago

    I'm learning and expect to be able to use the star charts and determine my own stars to shoot. Then use the almanac to fill in the precomputation forms then plot the fix myself... One day!

    11 months ago

    Thanks Eric. Where do I send the money?
    The way I use celnav at the moment:
    1. Plan my course in detail with attention to the time I intend to reach my destination. In Little nav map I add waypoints for each flight hour.
    2. On the hour, I use the recommended celestial bodies from "Suggest 3 stars" option.
    3. Take the first "shot" 1 minute before reaching the planned waypoint.
    4. Use the "Autofill Form" option.
    5. If available, take two other star shots, as soon as possible. Use the "Autofill Form" option for each.
    6. Use the "Auto Plot" option for all the shots I've taken.
    7. On the auto plot , I click the centre of the triangle to generate the "fix" file.
    8. Import the fix into Little Nav Map
    9. Plot the heading to my next waypoint
    10. Do it all again at each waypoint!

    I love the option to have a fully artificial navigator to help with the plotting while you learn or you can be the navigator and do it all manually.

    I'm learning and expect to be able to use the star charts and determine my own stars to shoot. Then use the almanac to fill in the precomputation forms then plot the fix myself... One day!
    FIVE STARS ✨ ✨✨✨✨

    12 months ago

    Hi, I want version 3 from Celav. ! I want "paperwork", NOT automation ! Is that stil available ?

    over 1 year ago

    Loved this addon. It made me look for more information about celestial navigation.

    Is there any possibility that this addon will be upgraded to FS 2024?

    Thanks!

    over 1 year ago

    This works with MSFS2024 with a new version of mobiflight events module. A working beta is already available for that.

    almost 2 years ago

    I am flying around the workl in DC3 and DC6, this will help me a lot on long routes. Thanks

    about 2 years ago

    This is quite honestly one of the most rewarding and awesome mods for MSFS right. This way of navigation is truly an art form and i'm looking forward to learning the ins and outs of it. ElectronVolt you are an absolute genius.

    over 2 years ago

    I think there's a typo with the version on the program window 's title. Reads V4.039 instead of V4.040... (Comment also in Discord https://discord.com/channels/862055295563464705/862978884076437544/1185739481115021402)

    over 2 years ago

    ElectronVolt, couldn't reply to your reply for some reason, so I started a new comment. Yes, I get those errors only when trying to shoot the moon; the Sun and stars seem to work fine. I did however get some similar messages when I first started CelNav today, but I also hadn't started MSFS yet. The second time I opened CelNav with MSFS running: no errors, and 3 successful shots of the sun during my flight.

    over 2 years ago

    Good. I found the Moon issue. Will fix in next update.

    FIXED 4.040, Dec. 16th 2023

    over 2 years ago

    Finally tried this, the new automatic feature really helps to ease into it. Only problem is, I've been getting the following fatal errors when shooting the moon:
    "Failed to execute script pygame celnav 038"
    "Error: local variable 'mrot' referenced before assignment"
    "Tracback:
    Also, the size of the windows starts out large, then after a few shots goes small. Not quite too small to use, but it'd be nice if you could scale the window size. Also, a darker night mode would be nice, and easier on the eyes.

    over 2 years ago

    I'm having the same issue.
    When executed: Fatal error detected, Failed to execute script Pygame cellnav 038

    and closes :(

    over 2 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback and bringing that up. Will look into it. Did this happen when shooting the Moon?

    almost 3 years ago

    Nice one

    about 3 years ago

    You should add "Sextant" to the "predefined tags" of your addon page here. I searched for "Sextant" and your app didn't show up.

    about 3 years ago

    Well, I'm probably never going to use this, but kudos on keeping the hardcore old-school navigation thing alive!

    over 3 years ago

    Ty!

    over 3 years ago

    Many thanks Sir

    MSFS 2020MSFS 2024

    CelNav for MSFS

    Experience realistic airborne navigation with CelNav for MSFS add-on. Practice Astro navigating using the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars. This tool simulates the function of a sextant, offering a unique way to navigate in the skies. Detailed guide included for those ready for an advanced flight experience.

    Downloads4K
    Version4.049
    File Size94.6 MB
    Published4 years ago
    Updated2 months ago

    User Reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    5
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    More Information

    Simulator
    MSFS2020/24
    CategoryUtilities
    Sub-CategoryApplications

    Version History

    4.048 - Corrected math error in the display of the motion of the bubble 4.049 - Increased Font size and changed font color on autoform and autoplit for better readability

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