NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: David Pike
Date: 2017 Jun 14, 23:09 -0700
Hi Chris. Well done on the MkIXA restoration. I presume from the closeness of the observations that you were taking instantaneous ones. Did you keep the Sun more or less in the bubble the whole time, or did you move off and come back on each time?
Is the star observation problem the light path through the sextant or light pollution?
I would have thought it was a good MkIXA which would pick up Polaris in 2017. I’d be pleased to see Jupiter through mine and, with a bit of imagination, Alioth for a two star fix.
Did you consider hanging your MkIXA by its top hanger? That’s what I’ve done with the Astrovan. It’s comfortable, but you can only cover about 200 degrees of sky, and you have to ask people not to pull on it too hard or it bends the caravan roof. I also add a safety chord in case the hanging clip gives way. DaveP
