I am learning celestial and found in the "abandoned gear" bin at my
club a copy of the 1983 Nautical Almanac, produced by both the UK and
US Hydrographical offices (or equivalents).

As I read my celestial nav books, this publication is referenced
frequently, as are the HO 229 and other sets of government produced
tables.

My question is this: For the purposes of teaching myself sight
reductions, the math aspects and accuracy with a sextant (I have a new
Astra IIIB), do I need a *current* Nautical Almanac? It strikes me
that if I rule out lunar cycles and the very small changes of the
precession of the equinoxes, the data of 22 years ago on the same
dates isn't going to be widely variant.

Or am I missing something and should I order the 2006 edition
immediately so I can do land-based reductions all winter and be
competant for the spring?

R.