NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Greg Rudzinski
Date: 2011 Jan 4, 19:02 -0800
5 Jan 2011 A.P. 34° 09.5'N 119° 13.5'W H.E. 21 ft. I.E. 0.0' Cassens Plath w/ 4x40mm scope
Declination 2° 17.8' S
UT 00:41:25 Hs 53° 32.4' (8m 26s to M.P.)
UT 00:44:39 Hs 53° 35.2' (5m 12s to M.P.)
UT 00:46:21 Hs 53° 36.2' (3m 30s to M.P.)
UT 00:47:59 Hs 53° 36.4' (1m 52s to M.P.)
UT 00:49:51 Hs 53° 36.8' M.P. observed
UT 00:51:37 Hs 53° 36.5' (1m 46s from M.P.)
Comments: The weather and horizon were excellent but it was a struggle to find and set Jupiter on the horizon. Jupiter would disappear against the sky and had to be lowered into the sea for viewing. The whole horizon mirror was just able to do the job. Next time it will be the split mirror. I have my doubts that this observation could be performed on a small craft. Aboard ship shouldn't be a problem. I did use Byron's vertical sextant technique of rocking the body from horizon to horizon through the dark back ground of the sea then splitting the difference to get the mid point.
Greg Rudzinski
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