NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Harrison's H1
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2009 May 6, 16:32 -0700
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2009 May 6, 16:32 -0700
I must say the one of the more enjoyable parts of my many visits to the UK was seeing H1 functioning at the Royal Observatory. Okay, I realize that makes me an engineering wonk, but I just couldn't take my eyes off of it. Wonderful instrument. A marvel. I was confused, at first, by the odd analog hands and dials. For example, the minutes dial goes from 0 to 59 and from 0 to 59 in one revolution, with a hand that points to both sides (and the same number). Why would he do that? I finally realized that Harrison was balancing the hands. Rotating up would take more energy than rotating down. Therefore, the clock could speed or slow down, if we had a hand like modern clocks. Gravity would play a part. Solution: give it two hands that point at the same number on either side of a dial. Brilliant! I wish the horologist nothing but the best of luck. Bring H1 back to life! Best Regards Brad --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Navigation List archive: www.fer3.com/arc To post, email NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
