NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Celestial Navigation at NEAF
From: Bruce J. Pennino
Date: 2015 Apr 18, 17:23 -0400
Attached File:
(GaryFix_NEAF2015.jpg: Open and save)
From: Bruce J. Pennino
Date: 2015 Apr 18, 17:23 -0400
The mirror floating in pool is really elegant. I’m jealous. I now regret
all of my effort to use a steel plate with leveling screws, plus all of the
other refinements I built into my “system” so I could use it on steep uneven
ground etc.
Simple is best. Accuracy of plus/minus 1 mile is probably
happenstance good fortune. With a quality sextant I would believe
plus/minus 1.5-2 miles. What is typical best accuracy with mirror or
pool of fluid?
Bruce
From: Robin Stuart
Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2015 4:01 PM
Subject: [NavList] Celestial Navigation at NEAF
I visited the North Eastern Astronomy Forum (NEAF) at the SUNY Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. Amongst the gathering of solar telescopes I found Gary the Astronomer offering free sextant lessons to anyone who would listen. Kudos to Gary.
He was using a Davis plastic sextant and for an artificial horizon had a sheet of glass in a wooden frame floating in a pan of water (see the attached photograph). He claimed to be able to get 1 mile accuracy.
Robin Stuart
Attached File:
(GaryFix_NEAF2015.jpg: Open and save)
