NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Old style lunar
From: Frank Reed CT
Date: 2004 Dec 9, 20:12 EST
From: Frank Reed CT
Date: 2004 Dec 9, 20:12 EST
"If he could afford the best sextant, why did not he
buy a better watch? I am sure in 1800, a watch keeping time to
1 minute per day was not a luxury. "
buy a better watch? I am sure in 1800, a watch keeping time to
1 minute per day was not a luxury. "
A sextant can take some beating and be re-adjusted by an experienced user
in the field. Watches just aren't very good campers. Similarly early
chronometers could run right for months while rolling with the waves at sea, but
bouncing on the back of a mule could cause them to break down in a day.
Frank R
[ ] Mystic, Connecticut
[X] Chicago, Illinois
[ ] Mystic, Connecticut
[X] Chicago, Illinois