Stellar-landscape/horizon image navigation

An image-based navigation system comprising:

• at least one hardware processor;
• and
• at least one hardware memory device operatively connected to the at least one hardware processor;
• wherein the at least one hardware processor is configured to execute program instructions for:
• obtaining a terrain image of a target terrain from one or more image sensors at a low altitude imaging location, wherein the terrain image includes at least one celestial image feature and at least one terrain feature;
• accessing map database information stored in the at least one hardware memory device;
• and
• comparing the at least one celestial image feature and the at least one terrain feature in the terrain image to the map database information to determine absolute location coordinates of the imaging location, wherein comparing includes determining one or more lines of sight from the one or more image sensors to either one of (a) the at least one celestial image feature or (b) the at least one terrain feature, and identifying the other one of (a) the at least one celestial image feature or (b) the at least one terrain feature in a background portion of the terrain image along the one or more lines of sight.