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    Re: Accuracy of sextant observations at sea
    From: George Huxtable
    Date: 2010 Sep 23, 16:15 +0100

    John Brown offereed this following useful comment, about Gary's recent
    posting.
    
    Subject: [NavList] Re: Accuracy of sextant observations at sea
    
    
    These seem to be very good results.  My 1963 edition of Burton's Tables has
    this to say in the first paragraph of the Notes:
    
    "An extensive investigation into the degree of accuracy normally obtained
    in the practice of astronomical position-finding at sea has indicated that
    the average inaccuracy in a position line produced by the average observer
    is 0'.7, and that one in twenty such position lines may be as much as 3'.0
    in error."
    
    ======================
    
    I saw that Burton's tables offers this footnote, about that comment.-
    
    See "The accuracy of Astronomical Observations at Sea", Journal of the
    Institute of Navigation, vol X, No 3, July 1957.
    
    It's the report of a working party, chaired by Don Sabler, who headed the
    Almanac Office. They sent out thousands of questionnaires to navigators,
    and analysed the answers that came back.
    
    It adds up to 26 pages, but only 1.4 MB in a .pdf file. If you find it of
    interest, here it is, attached..
    
    George
    
    contact George Huxtable, at  george{at}hux.me.uk
     or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222)
    or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.
    
    
    
    
    

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