NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Latitude by Spica
From: Frank Reed CT
Date: 2004 Jan 11, 20:40 EST
From: Frank Reed CT
Date: 2004 Jan 11, 20:40 EST
Celestial Navigation almost never involved stars in the 19th century (except for lunars). I found ONE example of a star sight. It's from the whaleship Stonington in the spring of 1847 out in the middle of the Pacific. It's such a rare thing that I thought it would be worth separate mention here.
>>>
Ship Stonington of New London GW Hamley Comd.
Winds ENE
Course full and by
Latt at 8 AM by Star Spica 2 12 S
Lat at 12 PM 1.33
Long by Chro 152.35 5/10
Long by Lunar 152.33 5/10
<<<
This was a long passage and it appears the officers were looking for some entertainment, hence the Spica sight.
It's also interesting that this navigator was already accustomed to quoting angles in degrees, minutes, and tenths of minutes, which we usually think of as a 20th century innovation.
Frank E. Reed
[X] Mystic, Connecticut
[ ] Chicago, Illinois
>>>
Ship Stonington of New London GW Hamley Comd.
Winds ENE
Course full and by
Latt at 8 AM by Star Spica 2 12 S
Lat at 12 PM 1.33
Long by Chro 152.35 5/10
Long by Lunar 152.33 5/10
<<<
This was a long passage and it appears the officers were looking for some entertainment, hence the Spica sight.
It's also interesting that this navigator was already accustomed to quoting angles in degrees, minutes, and tenths of minutes, which we usually think of as a 20th century innovation.
Frank E. Reed
[X] Mystic, Connecticut
[ ] Chicago, Illinois
