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    Re: Out of Date Almanac
    From: Douglas Denny
    Date: 2009 Dec 9, 07:05 -0800

    I also have ICE Version 0.51(Interactive Computer Ephemeris) by the US Naval 
    Observatory Nautical Almanac Office  available for anyone who wants it.
    
    It gives data I believe to full precision astronomical almanac level.
    
    It is quite basic in use being an old Dos based programme and uses the 
    function keys a lot, but is OK when you are used to it. It is not simple 
    point and click as in windows.
    
    The default values can be changed for your exact location, and the 'nav' 
    facility then gives a direct output of Hc and Az for all the normal 
    astronomical bodies for your location for any time entered.
    This is useful to check sextant observations for calibration using celestial 
    bodies for your reference object as it can be done in seconds.
    
    The only minor problem is delta T is fixed and is currently about five seconds 
    'out' but that can be easily allowed for when entering time.  (I have looked 
    at the files and cannot find how delta T is stored so it then could be 
    changed. It might be calculated by some algorithm, though I expect more 
    likely it is in a look-up table).
    
    I thought I would upload it in Zip format for anyone who wanted to use it here 
    but it will not upload, probably due to potential virus constraints.
    I think it is readily available if you look around on the internet.
    ----------
    
    Using any four year cycle of nautical almanac books is probably adequate for 
    practical navigation within a few minutes of arc for the sun and stars.
    Here again we can get into arguments and the semantics of just exactly what is 
    'accurate' navigation in a theoretical sense as opposed to what accuracy is 
    required for _practical_ navigation.  
    
    As an example of what I mean:
    I have a copy of Encyclopaedia Britannica for 1797 which has a table of 
    declinations of the Sun over a four year cycle for practical navigation use 
    for latitude by noon meridian sight of the sun.  It is only 'out' by around 
    12 min of arc when compared with a modern almanac, and could, if you were 
    stuck without anything else,  use it still today to make landfall crossing 
    the Atlantic say, (with a careful lookout) by the methods used then.
    
    Douglas Denny.
    Chichester. England.
    
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