http://www.nautictools.de/index.html
here you get a free nautical application with data before 1950 - only in unknown accuracy - but it's only in german.
Here :
http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/ you can get another free application, but i'm not shure, wether we can use it for nautical solitions.
Another problem:
how do you read an angle using the observation scope, without seeing the horizon?
If we can't read angles above 15°, we will need a sextant.
edit: just found your old posting, Dan:
Quote:
Looking at the #1 scope, aka observation scope...did you know....
1. It rotates to ~90° elevation.
2. It can read angles up to 32° above horizon when bottom of lens is poised on horizon.
3. It can read angles from 90° down to 58° when fully rotated upwards to it's upper stop.
This means that only 26° (between 58 & 32) cannot be referenced to the horizon for measuring altitudes of celestial bodies.
So...If I take a sight on Polaris and I have to swing the scope up to it's upper stop, all I have to do is count # of degrees down from the top of the scope (90°) to the body, then subtract that number from 90 to find it's altitude.
That missing 26° however, contains a lot of stars...but it still might work. The scope must be kept in low magnification however.
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