NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Celestial Navigation in 1866
From: Lars Bergman
Date: 2019 Feb 17, 03:34 -0800
From: Lars Bergman
Date: 2019 Feb 17, 03:34 -0800
Frank wrote
"Why pick that point? Why compare locations in his explorations to the southwest point of Timor? As I noted above, it's nothing more than a "ground zero" for his work. A place to compare back to as the exploration continues. He could just as easily have computed his bearing and distance from Singapore's town hall or from the Eiffel Tower in Paris."
The reason he picked that specific point, and not Singapore or Paris, was that he was on a voyage from Darwin to Kupang, and planned to make landfall at the SW point of Timor. On 16 August, at noon, the couse to aim at was N67°W and the remaining distance 245 miles. Quite relevant information for the navigator.
Lars 59°N 18°E
