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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: ? ? ? Re: Adjusting perpedi cularity of the Index Mirror
From: Bruce Stark
Date: 2004 Oct 11, 20:02 EDT
From: Bruce Stark
Date: 2004 Oct 11, 20:02 EDT
Alex,
This isn't an easy thing to see in one's own mind, and I doubt I could explain it clearly. Sometimes it's easier to just do something, then figure out for yourself why it works later on.
So please bear with me, even if you think I haven't understood what you're saying.
Set your sextant on a table so you can get your eye down to the level of the mirrors. A good place to set the index is about 35 degrees. That way the horizon mirror won't be in the way. Set the vanes as I described in the other post. For absolute precision, hold your eye about the same height above the table as the tops of the vanes. Put the wrench in the socket behind the central mirror and turn it one way or the other until the top edge of the vane seen in the index mirror forms a line with the top edge of the vane seen directly.
Now the mirror is perpendicular to the frame, and I believe you'll find it doesn't matter where you put the vanes on the arc. Nor will it matter much where you have your eye.
Bruce
This isn't an easy thing to see in one's own mind, and I doubt I could explain it clearly. Sometimes it's easier to just do something, then figure out for yourself why it works later on.
So please bear with me, even if you think I haven't understood what you're saying.
Set your sextant on a table so you can get your eye down to the level of the mirrors. A good place to set the index is about 35 degrees. That way the horizon mirror won't be in the way. Set the vanes as I described in the other post. For absolute precision, hold your eye about the same height above the table as the tops of the vanes. Put the wrench in the socket behind the central mirror and turn it one way or the other until the top edge of the vane seen in the index mirror forms a line with the top edge of the vane seen directly.
Now the mirror is perpendicular to the frame, and I believe you'll find it doesn't matter where you put the vanes on the arc. Nor will it matter much where you have your eye.
Bruce