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    Re: Lunar distance measurement in ideal conditions: attainable accuracy.
    From: Alexandre Eremenko
    Date: 2013 Jan 17, 08:00 -0500

    Which limb of the Moon you observed, near or far.
    For the Sun it is always near.
    For the stars it depends on the star, Moon and Sun position.
    
    Alex.
    
    > Also, what does “Near” or “Far” signify in the window next to
    > distance?
    >
    >
    >
    > -Paul
    >
    >
    >
    > From: navlist-bounce---org [mailto:navlist-bounce---org] On Behalf Of
    > Frank Reed
    > Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 5:20 PM
    > To: NavList---org
    > Subject: [NavList] Re: Lunar distance measurement in ideal conditions:
    > attainable accuracy.
    >
    >
    >
    > Norm,
    > This is a somewhat different issue. Pointing the telescope at a single
    > body is not normally a problem since the scope magnification on a sextant
    > is usually not high. Though sextants from the 19th century did include 12x
    > scopes (specifically for lunars) that's the highest you're likely to find
    > and modern sextants rarely include anything above 7x magnification. So for
    > a lunar, you just point the instrument at the Moon and find it in the
    > horizon view. But the tricky part is getting the other body in the
    > reflected view. Actually, it's not all that difficult if you know two
    > tricks: as Alex said, you preset the sextant for the approximate predicted
    > lunar distance (not cheating since you always know the approximate true
    > time and tables of the predicted distance are a prerequisite for the
    > method anyway), and rotate the sextant until the Moon's "horns" are
    > horizontal in the field of view. The latter works perfectly when the Sun
    > is the other body since the points at the ends of the terminator (the
    > horns of the crescent moon) are necessarily on a line that is
    > perpendicular to the direction to the Sun. It works reasonably with other
    > bodies for traditional lunars since the method is only useful for stars
    > and planets that are more or less along the Moon's path through the sky,
    > which is near enough to the ecliptic that the horns will still be
    > perpendicular to that direction, too. These two tricks, by the way, were
    > well-known historically. This is another case where lunars are, in a way,
    > less stressful than standard altitude sights in celestial navigation. The
    > altitudes of celestial bodies change too rapidly for presetting so
    > navigators learn various methods for bringing the body down to the
    > horizon. For lunars, as long as you know the true time (GMT/UT) within an
    > hour, the angle will not change by more than half a degree. The parallax
    > correction amounts to as much as one degree, but even with these two
    > differences, you're guaranteed that the other body will be in the
    > sextant's field of view.
    >
    > You could try out the above tonight if the weather is good. Around 7pm
    > PST, the Moon-Jupiter distance is just about 60.9 degrees. Two hours
    > later, it's 59.8 degrees. Preset your sextant to the right angle. Aim at
    > the Moon. Then rotate the sextant, keeping the Moon centered in the field
    > of view, until the horns are horizontal (that is, the line through the
    > horns will be perpendicular to the frame of the sextant). The reflected
    > image of Jupiter should pop right into view near the direct image of the
    > Moon. Make it "kiss" right on the limb of the Moon (if Jupiter's tiny disk
    > is visible, you should bisect it on the limb) and then get out your
    > magnifier and read that vernier! You should also record the time (UT/GMT)
    > so that you can test your results. And of course, you should try again a
    > few minutes later. That's probably the most impressive thing to see when
    > you first shoot lunars: you can detect the Moon's motion right away.
    >
    > You can get your own predicted distance tables and also clear your lunars
    > using my online tools here: http://reednavigation.com/lunars/
    >
    > -FER
    >
    >
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    > : http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx?i=121979
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    >
    >
    
    
    
    
    

       
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