NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Instrument for solving spheric
From: Ken Gebhart
Date: 2012 Apr 26, 13:31 -0500
From: Ken Gebhart
Date: 2012 Apr 26, 13:31 -0500
Alex, Forgive me if this has been commented on, as I have just started on this thread. But the idea of the astrocompass is only to determine the heading of the aircraft in northern regions where the magnetic compass is suspect. Generally the plane IS level and flying on a straight course as it traverses from A to B. One or two degrees is more than accurate enough for this. I have to relate the old navigator story where the navigator tells the pilot to come right one degree for destination. The pilot replies "that's ridiculous. I can't even read one degree on my heading indicator". Nav then says, "ok come left 5 degrees". Pilot then says "ok, that's more like it, coming left". Nav then says" now come right 6 degrees"! Ken On Apr 26, 2012, at 10:31 AM, Alexandre E Eremenko wrote: > > Close inspection of pictures of astrocompasses > suggests that the accuracy is likely to be 1 degree, > no better. > About the same as of the star globe in good condition. > > What puzzles me is how they were supposed to set this starcompass > horizontally on a moving airplane:-) > It has adjusting screws like an artificial horizon, and presumably > bubble levels. The airplane must fly really straight and > with constant speed to enable the navigator to use such a device. > > It is more useful for finding the directions after an emergency > landing:-) > > Alex. > > On Thu, 26 Apr 2012, Geoffrey Kolbe wrote: > >> >> At 15:00 26/04/2012,Zvi Doron wrote: >>> You mean one minute >> >> No, I believe I reported Wolfgang accurately. >> >> Geoffrey Kolbe >> >> >>> Sent from my HTC >>> >>> Wolfgang said that with care, an accuracy of one degree was >>> possible using the >>> astro-compass. >>> >>> Geoffrey >> >> >> >> >> >> : http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx?i=119274 >> >> >> > >
