NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Port Chalmers Time Ball
From: David C
Date: 2023 Jun 8, 20:14 -0700
From: David C
Date: 2023 Jun 8, 20:14 -0700
Longitude cannot be accurately determined by meridian sight because of the small rate of change of altitude with time. This then raises the question of how accurate time-ball time was. I am guessing that because an observatory was set up to determine time, with precise instruments and staff who did the same measurement every day, it was more accurate than usng a hand held sextant.
David C
