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Dear Frank:

On Wed, 1 Dec 2004, Frank Reed wrote:

> But  actually the
> sextant has to be swung about the line of sight to the  object.

This Maskelyne also says (in the same paper).
But then he continues:

"...can be only produced by the quadrant being turned
upon a line drawn from the eye to the Sun, as an axis;
a motion of rotation upon this line may be resolved into
two, one upon the axis of vision (he means the horizontal axis here)
and the other upon the line on the quadrant perpendicular to the
line of vision; and consequently a proper combination of these
two motions will keep the Sun constantly in the axis of vision...
etc."

> you know the correct rule, then the second paragraph
> is nothing more than a
> special case of it since rotating the sextant about a
>  vertical line means
> spinning about on your heels.

And this he also says, almost in the same words.

Alex.

   

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