NavList:

Wolfgang you wrote:

"So the idea is not exactly original or new (94 years) and has been
published in a peer-reviewed journal before, I am sorry to say."

 

Call me confused, but why are you "sorry" to say that? It goes without saying that everything in celestial navigation has been thought of before. Probably ten times, too. But did YOU ever realize that you could determine a true position fix using lunar distances without any horizon at all? I think it's quite a novel concept for this group of people. I suppose that's why a couple of people were determined to attack it instead of trying it out.

 

Out of curiosity, has anyone besides me tried it yet? Have you measured some lunar distances assuming that GMT is known (as it is today, of course)? Have you plotted out the resulting lines of position and experienced the satisfaction of finding your position by celestial navigation in an entirely new way? I dropped the topic in October, but I would be happy to discuss it again.

 

I feel I should say this every time, just so there's no confusion: this use of lunar distances to get a fix in latitude and longitude is entirely different from the historical method of lunar distances which used the measured distance to determine GMT. The measuring process, the required fine adjustment of the sextant, and most aspects of the clearing process are the same or very similar, but the final result is completely different.