NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Rude Starfinder History
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2014 Jul 16, 17:45 -0400
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2014 Jul 16, 17:45 -0400
Hello Stan
Probably no help in identifying constellations.
I use it, skipping right past the "identify constellations" part.
I use just as someone else described. Align the sextant plane generally with a compass or other suitable direction finder. Have the sextant preset generally to the expected altitude and Viola! Object is in the FOV. You only need know the objects name to later reduce the observation.
Constellations? We don't need no constellations. Just give us your sextants and we'll be on our way (with regards to "Treasure of the Sierra Madres")
Brad
On Jul 16, 2014 2:12 PM, "Stan K" <NoReply_StanK@fer3.com> wrote:
Although the Rude Star Finder is great for determining the altitude and azimuth of a body in order to preset a sextant, I question whether it was that much help in identifying constellations prior to morning twilight. My students have found that the fact that the bodies are presented looking from the outside of the celestial sphere, i.e. "backwards" or "reversed", is confusing. The Star Finder could just as easily been designed with an "overhead" view, but there might have been a good reason it was done the way it was done. (I have not read the patent information or re-read Gary's posts yet.)
Stan
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug MacPherson <NoReply_MacPherson@fer3.com>
To: slk1000 <slk1000---.com>
Sent: Tue, Jul 15, 2014 12:17 pm
Subject: [NavList] Rude Starfinder History
I Wws using my Rude Starfinder the other day which prompted some questions concerning the ingenious device.Does anyone know who invented it (Rude?) and when?Did it significantly change the way celestial was performed at sea? Were navigators more inclined to observe morning sights vs. evening sights prior to the Rude Starfinder due to the fact that they could identify the constellations prior to morning twighlight?Thanks!Doug
