As we enter the 21st century and advance further into the information age, traditional methods for computinga celestial navigation fix can no longer meet the requirements of modern vessels in terms of calculationspeed and precision. Study of precise, rapid, and convenient celestial navigation computational methodsand the application of information technology to modern celestial navigation is especially meaningful,considering the current push for e-Navigation. In this work, we employ a genetic algorithm, from the fieldof artificial intelligence, due to its superior search ability that mimics the natural process of biologicalevolution. Unique encodings and genetic operators designed in this study, in combination with the fixprinciple of celestial circles of equal altitude in celestial navigation, allow the rapid and direct attainmentof accurate optimum vessel position. Test results indicate that this method has more flexibility, and avoidstedious and complicated computation and graphical procedures.
