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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: At the centre of time
From: Douglas Denny
Date: 2009 Oct 21, 12:29 -0700
From: Douglas Denny
Date: 2009 Oct 21, 12:29 -0700
Further to the Greenwich Meridian and the Airey Transit instrument: I have just had a conversation with Gilbert Satterthwaite MSc. DIC. FRAS. (Hayes, Kent. England) to ask him when it was last used, as he was the last person to use it on a regular basis. He mentioned that this month is the 150th anniversary of the Washington Conference when the Greenwich Meridian (Airey) was adopted by the international community as the Prime Meridian. Here are a few interesting facts which might be of interest:- The Airey Transit instrument was first used on 4th Jan 1851 and provided published observations annually up to 30 March 1954 i.e for a period of 103 years 3 months. The Sun; Moon; planets out to Neptune; and the four brightest minor planets, Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta were included with the star catalogue. On the last day of observations, 30 March 1954, Gilbert observed Jupiter, Venus Juno and the last observation to be catalogued with the Airey instrument was Pallas at about 21-00 in the evening. Gilbert has written a paper on the Airey instrument published with his paper on Airey and Positional Astronomy, and another on Airey's zenith telescopes. He is the chairman of the Astronomical History and Heritage Group which publishes a journal on Heritage astronomical instruments and related items of interest. Douglas Denny. Chichester. England. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ NavList message boards: www.fer3.com/arc Or post by email to: NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList+@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
