NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: 18 june 2013 lunar distance
From: Paul Hirose
Date: 2013 Jul 05, 22:58 -0700
From: Paul Hirose
Date: 2013 Jul 05, 22:58 -0700
Brad Morris wrote: > Think of it this way, IF you can accomplish it, then you will noted > historically as the first person with a real extension of the lunar > distance problem in 100 years!!! That would be quite the feather in your > cap. Strictly with regard to navigation by lunar distances, I believe you're right. Nobody (a dangerous word) has yet accounted for the limb profile. But in practice is there anything worthwhile to be gained, given the accuracy of sextant observations? I doubt it. But if that little correction is to be pursued, I suggest looking at the software of the occultation people. The limb profile is routine business to them. http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/occvalue.htm I have no plans to add that to my software! Although I am highly interested in the discrepancy discussed in this thread, it's not because 17 mas is significant in navigation by lunar distances. The reasons are 1) some of my code may be re-used in another application where such an error is not acceptable, and 2) just because the discrepancy is only 17 mas in this case, it doesn't follow that it will be that small in other cases, and 3) I'm can't rest easy with a possible mistake in my code. --