NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Bob Bossert
Date: 2025 Aug 25, 09:44 -0700
I found this interesting article about Captain Cook's charting of Australian, New Zealand, etc. Journal of Royal Society of New Zealand, 2010. Volume 40, Issue 2. Author Bill Keir. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03036758.2010.482971#d1e235
I was interested in reading about his navigation methods during his first voyage where he only had a pocket watch for ship based observations (Lunars, Sun Transit) and pendulum based clock for land based astronomical observations (that included Jupiter moons, Venus Transit, Mercury Transit). He wasn't alone doing and reducing observations. With him was an astronomer, Master Mate, and Ordinary Seamen who were skilled. The article mentioned typical error (arc-min) in Longitude they achieved. The second and third voyages, he was a beta tester for the new chronometer.
Bob Bossert
