Re: Why only crap in this NG? (was Wolter claims ...)

Apparently on date Mon, 30 May 2005 15:36:50 GMT, Philip Deitiker
<Donevenask@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

>nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx says in
>news:gnql91dnasjj8gld2264f28tk3aokqi66s@xxxxxxx:
>
>> Apparently on date Sun, 29 May 2005 11:23:50 -0500,
>> kenney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx said:
>>
>>>history of America is minimal. Also, as you point out Columbus
>>>had no idea he had discovered a new continent. Though of course
>>>Columbus did not get past the Caribbean.
>>
>> Hmm, AIUI Columbus was a skilled astronomer and would have been
>> able to tell where he was by the stars and things.
>
>With out a maritime clock one has no idea what longitude one is at.
>The only european with details accounts of the western pacific was
>marco polo at that time, and he did not have details of the eastern
>most islands. So That there was no way columbus could have known by
>astronomy where he was in terms of the earth equitorial

This is incorrect, you can use astronomy to locate your longitude without a
ships clock.

This was the reason I asked, too.

One of the clearest indicators of longitude available to Columbus would be
eclipses. If there is an eclipse at 10pm on saturday night, while the same
eclipse happens at 2am on sunday morning in Cadiz, you're six hours, or 90
degrees, west of Cadiz.

Now the thing is, from what I gather, Columbus reported his position, using
this method. He had figured his position using dead reckoning (which is fair
enough at sea at the time) and reported his astronomical position to reflect
that dead reckoning longitude.

My point was, either Columbus didn't know the time properly or falsified the
time at which the eclipse happened in order to add credibility to his story as
to where he had got to. I don't believe he had a "clock" that misread by just
the right amount to match up to his dead reckoning position despite that being
wrong by about 1300 miles, or well over an hour WRT time.

This would mean Columbus deliberately reported astronomical results that he
hadn't observed, and it seems to me that when someone is telling porkies they
almost always know they are doing so and what the true situation is, at least
in a situation like Columbus in the new world where the whole issue was, for
him, controversial.

>> Is it the view that he was genuinely mistaken about what he had
>> done or was he just sticking to his story?
>
>Look up the history of latitude and the maritime clock.

Why? He didn't have a maritime clock. And this isn't about latitude, which he
would have known accurately enough even onboard ship.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Why only crap in this NG? (was Wolter claims ...)
    ... The only european with details accounts of the western ... >> longitude without a ships clock. ... I gave you the example showing why it doesn't and what Columbus ... All he had to know what what time an eclipse took place. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Why only crap in this NG? (was Wolter claims ...)
    ... AIUI Columbus was a skilled astronomer and would have ... within a few decades of the maritime clock. ... So That there was no way columbus could ... then his attempt to reach asia would have been ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Why only crap in this NG? (was Wolter claims ...)
    ... >>> what Columbus did. ... All he had to know what what time an eclipse ... Columbus twice claimed to have found his longitude by timing lunar ... it's possible to convert Columbus's transatlantic distance ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Why only crap in this NG? (was Wolter claims ...)
    ... >within a few decades of the maritime clock. ... So That there was no way columbus could ... In addition the maps of asia were not ... >to move one hour (15' longditude) about 10 days. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Columbus, eclipse, Regiomontanus
    ... Columbus, eclipse, Regiomontanus ... At Columbus time, ... in 1541 there was a mighty effort to determine the longitude ...
    (soc.history.medieval)
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