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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Jack Aubrey's fixing of longitude
From: Michael Dorl
Date: 2011 Jun 19, 11:01 -0500
From: Michael Dorl
Date: 2011 Jun 19, 11:01 -0500
> Yes perhaps, but from the description of, "the moon, with Venus clear > above her," it sounds as though Venus was conjunct the moon - or very > nearly so. So what does the measurement, "Two seven four," signify? > > It might have been an occultation of Venus. As the Surprise was at a > latitude of about 15 degrees South at the time, the moon may well > appear to be travelling vertically up to an occultation with Venus. > But again, what does the measurement, "Two seven four," signify? What year are we talking about? There was a venus occultation 12 april 1785. 1805 would be a better year; Lewis & Clark tried to establish longitude from a lunar eclipse that year Jan 14/15.
