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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Bruce Stark's Lunar tables. was Re: Lunars Tables
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2008 Jan 11, 15:04 -0000
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2008 Jan 11, 15:04 -0000
Delving into back issues of the Journal of Navigation, I've come across this contribution (attached) from Bruce Stark to the Forum section, back in 1987 (page 394, vol 40). It's particularly relevant to the thread "Lunars Tables" that ran a month ago on Navlist, which started with a request for explanation of how Bruce's tables worked. That thread incuded an attempt at an explanation of those tables from me, before becoming aware of Bruce's paper on the subject. There are several members interested in the detailed inner-working of clearing lunars; they may include Fred Hebard, Andres Ruiz, Scott Owen, Kent Nordstrom, and probably more. I've seen no signs of Bruce on Navlist for some time now, but he is still around, and actively contributing to the "Navigator's Newsletter". You will note that in the paper Bruce writes- "A book of tables must be published to make the method convenient enough for modern taste ..." and ends "The tables, if published, should be useful ..." Some years later, they were indeed published, by Lant-horn Press, as "Tables for clearing the lunar distance". Mine is the second edition, of 1997, which is ISBN 0-9650573-0-5. It was, and I hope still is, available through Celestaire. I haven't checked whether those tables as published are in exactly the same form as Bruce foresaw in 1987. In his doctoral thesis on Mayer's lunar predictions , (now Dr) Steven Wepster, well-known to many old Nav-L members, quoted Bruce's tables in his list of references, and writes, after listing many early texts, "A refreshing modern approach in in Stark...". Potential users should be aware that Bruce's tables will take up rather a lot of room on a chartroom shelf, however. 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---