Outstanding Errors of the Nautical Almanac (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from Outstanding Errors of the Nautical Almanac A correct nautical almanac is of unspeakable value to the astronomer, while an incorrect one makes it perilous for ships at sea. For a definite understanding of these outstanding errors the following quotations are made. The first quotation is from the pen of Simon Newcomb, as published in Harper's Magazine July, 1902, the second was written by C. A. Young and published in The Cosmopolitan June, 1894, and the third is a production by John Elfreth Watkins, Jr., and published in the Ladies Home Journal July, 1903. First: - "Our own moon is one o£ the enigma of the mathematical astronomy. Observations show that she is deviating from her predicted place, and that this deviation continues to increase. Tine, it is not very great when measured by an ordinary standard. The time at which the moon's shadow passed a given point near Norfolk during the total eclipse of May 29, 1900, was only about seven seconds different from the time given in the Astronomical Ephemeris. The path of the shadow along the earth was not out of place by more than one or two miles. But, small though these deviations are, they show that something is wrong, and no one has as yet found out what it is. Worse yet, the deviation will in all likelihood go on increasing rapidly. The mathematical problems involved are of such complexity that it is only now and then that a mathematician tarns up anywhere in the world who is both able and bold enough to attack them. "Twelve years ago a suspicion which had long been entertained that the earth's axis of rotation varied a little from time to time was verified by Chandler. The result of this is a slight change in the latitude of all places on the earth's surface, which admits of being determined by precise observations. The National Geodetic Association has established four observatories on the same parallel of latitude one - at Gaithersburg, Maryland, another on the Pacific coast, a third in Japan, and a fourth in Italy to study these variations by continuous observations from night to night." About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.