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On 2/18/06 1:28 AM, "Frank Reed"  wrote:

> During the weekend of June 16-18, 2006,  Friday through Sunday, the Mystic
> Seaport Planetarium in Mystic, Connecticut  will be hosting a "Celestial
> Navigation Celebration" devoted to preserving the  art and practice of
> celestial
> navigation. Planetarium Director and long-time  celestial instructor, Don
> Treworgy, will conduct a tour of part of the museum's  navigational instrument
> collection. Many of these historical instruments have  never been publicly
> displayed.
> Myself, I will be conducting two presentations on  navigation by "lunar
> distances", one devoted to historical aspects and basic  concepts, the other
> focused on the mathematical and technical aspects. Anyone  interested will
> have an
> opportunity to take a lunar distance observation and  find the longitude just
> the way it was done during the late 18th and early 19th  centuries (weather
> permitting, of course). Don Treworgy and other planetarium  staff will also do
> at
> least one planetarium program demonstrating the use of the  planetarium
> projector and dome in teaching celestial navigation. We also intend  to
> arrange a
> presentation based on the G.W. Blunt-White Library's extensive  collection of
> original logbooks, navigation manuals, and almanacs.
>
> Join  us in Mystic for this weekend of events. Whether you're just interested
> in the  subject of celestial navigation for the fun and challenge of a nearly
> lost art,  or you're a professional celestial navigator with decades of
> experience at sea,  we would like to see you there. We're also putting out a
> "Call
> for  Presentations". Is there a celestial navigation topic that you would like
> to  present to a wider audience? Perhaps you have an unusual method for
> getting a  line of position at sunrise or sunset. Maybe you're a sextant
> merchant
> and you  would like to tell us about your experiences on the business side of
> celestial  navigation. If you have an idea for a presentation, please try to
> let us know by  February 28, 2006 so that we can finalize our schedule. If you
> definitely plan  to attend or you're thinking about attending, it will be very
> useful to us to  have a head count, so please drop me an e-mail at
> FrankReed@HistoricalAtlas.com.
>
> Events of the "Celestial Navigation  Celebration" weekend are free of charge
> and open to all. If you plan to visit  other exhibits at Mystic Seaport while
> you're here (and you certainly should!),  then you would need to purchase
> regular museum admission or a museum membership.  Details here:
> www.mysticseaport.org. Some events during the weekend are  sponsored by the
> Susan P. Howell
> Memorial Fund.
>
> On a practical note, I  should add that Mystic, Connecticut is easily
> accessible. It's a straight,  forty-minute drive from T.F. Green Airport south
> of
> Providence, Rhode Island  which is served by frequent inexpensive flights on
> Southwest and other major  airlines, and it's just a mile from Exit 90 on
> I-95.
> Mystic is on the main  Amtrak train line between Boston and New York City.
> There
> are numerous motels,  hotels, B&Bs, and other accomodations close to Mystic
> Seaport.
>
> Frank  Reed
> www.HistoricalAtlas.com/lunars
> 41.3N 71.9W or 41.9N  87.7W
>
> -FER
> 42.0N 87.7W, or 41.4N  72.1W.
> www.HistoricalAtlas.com/lunars
>
Frank,

Count me in.  I would be happy to present a paper there concerning current
worldwide interest in celestial navigation (which is considerable).  I would
also notify the major sailing magazines about the event (if you are not
afraid of having too many people).  I will contact you offline with other
details.
Ken

   

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