Thursday 29 May 2003 16:00
B. Velicky
(Theoretical department, Institute of Physics ASCR, Prague
and Department of electronic structures, Faculty of mathematics and physics,
Charles University, Prague)
Astronomers, clockmakers, mariners
Abstract:
Ever since Columbus' journey to West Indies, open sea
navigation was facing the severe problem of finding the
geographical longitude of the ship. After centuries of
concerted but failing efforts to resolve the problem,
in the middle of the 18th century two suitable competing
solutions were proposed, one based on astronomical observations
of Moon, the other on the use of a highly precise clock,
marine chronometer. The two approaches were personalized
by the fifth Royal Astronomer N. Maskelyne and by a clockmaker J.
Harrison.