Celestial Navigation

a cryptic puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Solution
This month's puzzle is a real test of solvers' skill in charting a course through an open expanse with little to steer by. To begin with, clues are listed randomly and are numbered simply for convenience. Furthermore, the heavy bars that normally show where entries begin and end have been left out of the diagram, but if they were added they would form a pattern that would be the same when rotated 180 degrees. Our advice to solvers is to let the stars be your guide. Seven clue answers are capitalized; the answer to clue 29 is not common.

Clues

  • 1.
    Ursa chart is puzzling old astronomer (11)
  • 2.
    Raggedy Ann carries a girl's tag (4)
  • 3.
    Embodiment of a Virginia tobacco constituent (6)
  • 4.
    Coach guys to run (6)
  • 5.
    Illegitimate state bank's opening so late (8)
  • 6.
    Make believe place is covered by treaty (7)
  • 7.
    Flower's arisen in row (6)
  • 8.
    Worked at almost balletic move (4)
  • 9.
    Cooper's material about Deerslayer's end fails to sustain (7)
  • 10.
    Ordinance essentially banning grass (4)
  • 11.
    Systematically arranged a brutal wrong (7)
  • 12.
    Unexpected treat ultimately eaten by bird (9)
  • 13.
    Big bird's brought back darn sandwich (7)
  • 14.
    Witness richer than the rest is cut initially (6)
  • 15.
    Read about Republican firm (6)
  • 16.
    St. Louis organization asks for identification (5)
  • 17.
    Brainy group exchanged names (5)
  • 18.
    1,200 like taking in eastern tourist attractions (6)
  • 19.
    Rail is taken by kid (8)
  • 20.
    A narcotic's distributed from Central America (two words) (10)
  • 21.
    Pointless of French to pound and pound (4)
  • 22.
    Saroyan keeps describing baseball player (6)
  • 23.
    Dropping its top twice, prairie schooner's rear is better ventilated (6)
  • 24.
    President playing dance tunes (6)
  • 25.
    Dessert list enthralls our group at tea, primarily (7)
  • 26.
    Scarf pinched (5)
  • 27.
    Verbally bother an old European (4)
  • 28.
    Finally, Pat shot Terry's secret lover (7)
  • 29.
    Gaze upon Eliot's spiritual adviser (7)
  • 30.
    Doctor notices a boater (8)
  • 31.
    First-class: pretty sharp (5)
  • 32.
    Destiny turned around one slave (4)
  • 33.
    Loud noise on top of organ's third chime (4)
  • 34.
    Exposed, gambled about breaking rank (10) (hyphenated) (10)
  • 35.
    Before bid, get cold (6)
  • 36.
    A free desert (4)
  • 37.
    Start of a hole turned up at the border of Robeson's military ornament (7)
  • 38.
    White powder might make Ron scratch (10)
  • 39.
    Party in Greece embraces act of union (5)
  • 40.
    Newly successful delivery service is front for hooker (7)
  • 41.
    Caught in public, vandal has to (8)
  • 42.
    Selector he numbers after a point? (6)
  • 43.
    Correct don again (7)
  • 44.
    Yellow traitors turning in slander (7)