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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Jack Aubrey's fixing of longitude
From: Tom Sult
Date: 2011 Jun 19, 14:22 -0500
From: Tom Sult
Date: 2011 Jun 19, 14:22 -0500
So aren't these books novels. Is it possible that the number 274 is just literary License. Or is it truly historical? Thomas A. Sult, MD Sent from iPhone On Jun 19, 2011, at 11:01, Michael Dorlwrote: > >> Yes perhaps, but from the description of, "the moon, with Venus clear above her," it sounds as though Venus was conjunct the moon - or very nearly so. So what does the measurement, "Two seven four," signify? >> >> It might have been an occultation of Venus. As the Surprise was at a latitude of about 15 degrees South at the time, the moon may well appear to be travelling vertically up to an occultation with Venus. But again, what does the measurement, "Two seven four," signify? > > What year are we talking about? > > There was a venus occultation 12 april 1785. > > 1805 would be a better year; Lewis & Clark tried to establish longitude from a lunar eclipse that year Jan 14/15. > > > >