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Alex Eremenko wrote, under threadname "Your mail"-

>The only obstacle to improving my results for the Sun
>seems to be the water motion in the art horizon because
>of the slightest vibration. My balcony floor vibrates when
>a dog is passing by on the ground under my balcony:-)
>But this can be fixed of course.

To prevent such vibrations it is necessary for the artificial horizon
(water or mercury) to have its base firmly planted on solid ground. A
viscous material mould cope better, presumably.

Somewhere I have read of attempts in the 1700s to use an artificial horizon
on the roof of the Admiralty building in London, a very solid stone
construction. These were seriously disturbed by the passage of horse-drawn
carriages outside.

In another message (star-to-star distances) Alex wrote-

The Russian manual says about "a plate with machine oil
which an assistant holds in his hands".
The assistant is probably needed
to absorb the vibration of the ship's engine!

Tell us more, please, Alex. I find it hard to believe that any assistant
could have steady enough hands to hold a liquid horizon (even of machine
oil) still enough. As for the "ship's engine", I havent come across an
account of any successful measurement made with an artificial horizon on
board a ship at sea. If that was a standard Russian procedure, it would be
interesting to learn about it.

George.

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