NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Refraction.
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2006 Jun 13, 12:06 +0100
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2006 Jun 13, 12:06 +0100
This list has in the past taken a serious interest in refraction and in its effects on horizon dip, and there has been quite a lot of detailed correpondence about it. I've just received an offprint of a new article by Andrew T Young, of the Astronomy Deparment, San Diego State University, "Understanding Astronomical Refraction", which has recently appeared in the journal "The Observatory"(Vol. 126, no. 1191, pp. 82-115, 2006 April.) If anyone is the acknowledged authority on atmospheric optics, it must be Andy Young. His paper is 31 pages of crisply-expressed logical thought about how atmospheric refraction works, and with full explanation of its long history. Andy likes to convey information in terms of clear physical reasoning rather than in pages of mathematics, where that's possible. I haven't seen the subject explained elsewhere anywhere near so well or so clearly. It's just what anyone needs who takes a serious interest in the passage of light through the atmosphere. I don't know if there is web access to that paper, but while the preprints last, perhaps a nice postcard to Andy Young, Astronomy Department, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-1221, may get you a copy. George. contact George Huxtable at george@huxtable.u-net.com or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222) or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.
