# Question regarding celestial Navigation endorsement **URL:** \ **Category:** Professional Mariner Forum\ **Created:** [April 10, 2011, 8:40am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496 "2011-04-10T08:40:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![orangejulius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f08c70/32.png) [@orangejulius](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/orangejulius)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 8:40am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496/1 "2011-04-10T08:40:55Z")
I am planning to take a celestial Navigation course at houston this july and adding it to my 200 master. I will be upgrading to my 500 ton master 1600 mate in november or december hopefully will that endorsement follow me up to my 500 or will I be required to retest? ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Capt\_Lee](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Capt_Lee)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496/2 "2011-04-10T16:32:11Z")
You will have to take the celestial exam each time you are required to test to upgrade. ---
**Author:** ![jdcavo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/jdcavo/32/108_2.png) [@jdcavo](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/jdcavo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496/3 "2011-04-11T04:04:13Z")
You will have to test again to go from Master 200 to Master 500. You probably won’t have to test goping from Master 500 to Master 1600. ---
**Author:** ![cappy208](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@cappy208](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/cappy208)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 11:59am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496/4 "2011-04-11T11:59:28Z")
IMPORTANT!!! Whatever Celestial course you take it MUST MUST MUST be for the highest level license you are (anticipating) going for. You can take a Celestial course for 200 tons. It won’t have the 500/1600 ton masters level questions on it. Make sure your course is approved for 1600 ton level. As long as you take the course within one year it is valid to submit for your upgrade to 1600. The CG has NO requirements that you can only submit the course certification ONCE. It is valid for one year after completion. What is unusual is that you are doing two licenses in 6 months. Why not just skip the 200 ton, and do the 500/1600? ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Capt\_Lee](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Capt_Lee)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496/5 "2011-04-11T20:11:21Z")
[QUOTE=cappy208;48618]IMPORTANT!!! Whatever Celestial course you take it MUST MUST MUST be for the highest level license you are (anticipating) going for. You can take a Celestial course for 200 tons. It won’t have the 500/1600 ton masters level questions on it. Make sure your course is approved for 1600 ton level. As long as you take the course within one year it is valid to submit for your upgrade to 1600. The CG has NO requirements that you can only submit the course certification ONCE. It is valid for one year after completion. What is unusual is that you are doing two licenses in 6 months. Why not just skip the 200 ton, and do the 500/1600?[/QUOTE] That is very good advice and I think it could work if you go that route and upgrade within a year of the certificate you could get by without testing it again for 1600 Master. I did not even consider that. ---
**Author:** ![orangejulius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f08c70/32.png) [@orangejulius](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/orangejulius)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496/6 "2011-04-11T22:10:08Z")
Cappy, I am getting my 200 because all I have to do is submit the time to get the masters license. Simply put its just easy for me to get. Also I didnt know there where different celestial test for a 200 or 500 I thought there was only a difference between a 1600 celestial test and a third mate unlimited and above celestial test? I am going to be taking it at houston marine in july since I can make it work with my schedule. I dont particularly want to take it there but its the only place I can make work. ---
**Author:** ![jdcavo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/jdcavo/32/108_2.png) [@jdcavo](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/jdcavo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496/7 "2011-04-12T04:39:57Z")
[QUOTE=cappy208;48618]IMPORTANT!!! Whatever Celestial course you take it MUST MUST MUST be for the highest level license you are (anticipating) going for. You can take a Celestial course for 200 tons. It won’t have the 500/1600 ton masters level questions on it. Make sure your course is approved for 1600 ton level. As long as you take the course within one year it is valid to submit for your upgrade to 1600. The CG has NO requirements that you can only submit the course certification ONCE. It is valid for one year after completion. What is unusual is that you are doing two licenses in 6 months. Why not just skip the 200 ton, and do the 500/1600?[/QUOTE] Good advice, I should have thought to include it. As you can no longer check the course approval on the NMC web page, ask the school to provide you a copy of the Coast Guard approval [U]letter[/U] for the course (not the certificate). The approval will be stated on the first page. Another quick qway to “estimate” the approval is the course length. If it’s significantly shorter than 10 days or 80 hours, it’s probably not approved for 500 GRT licenses. ---
**Author:** ![Robert](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/robert/32/29295_2.png) [@Robert](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Robert)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 8:37am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496/8 "2011-04-12T08:37:55Z")
Hey Mr. Cavo, Any reasonable reason why the NMC web site no longer lets people see the approval letter? I find it strange. ---
**Author:** ![Robert](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/robert/32/29295_2.png) [@Robert](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Robert)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 8:44am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/question-regarding-celestial-navigation-endorsement/5496/10 "2011-04-13T08:44:53Z")
Yeah, the geographic search feature is nice, but I definitely agree with you that know for sure what a course was good for was of much greater value.