NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Error in taking lunar distance
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2008 Feb 12, 20:55 -0000
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2008 Feb 12, 20:55 -0000
My recent message needs a correction. When I wrote- "For the rest of the month, Sun-lunars are available, and indeed preferred by many observers", that was wrong. For a period of about 10 days in each month, around Full Moon, the Sun-Moon lunar distance exceeds 120 degrees, putting it outside the range of a sextant. During that period a navigator has no option but to use night-time star-Moon distances, if he needs a lunar distance. So all told, star lunars are quite a lot more available that Sun lunars, and a navigator who restricts himself to daytime lunar distances to the Sun has much fewer opportunities to get his longitude. George contact George Huxtable at george@huxtable.u-net.com or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222) or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
