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Journal of Computational Astronomy & Astronomical Computing (JCAAC)
JAAC 1, 5-14 (2024)
Computational celestial navigation at sea
L. Mederos, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain
lmederos@icmm.csic.es
Abstract
Finding the geographic longitude of a ship when sailing in high seas, frequently referred to as the longitude
problem, is one of the longest scientific problems in history that it took almost three centuries to be solved. The
final solution to that problem, based on measuring the altitude of stars above the horizon, is briefly summarized
in sections I and II. Section III is then devoted to explain how the traditional solution can be today implemented
using simple calculations instead of the usual tedious graphical method.
Resumen
El cálculo de la longitud geográfica de un barco que navega en alta mar, denominado frecuentemente como el
problema de la longitud, es uno de los problemas científicos más antiguos de la historia, que tardó casi tres siglos
en resolverse. Además de resumir la solución final al problema, basada en la medida de la altura de las estrellas
sobre el horizonte, presentamos en este artículo una versión de la solución tradicional basada en procedimientos
simples, que sustituyen a los tediosos métodos gráficos usuales.
The Journal of Computational Astronomy & Astronomical Computing is an effort by the FAAE - Grupo de Cálculo Astronómico (GCA) to
encourage the use of software tools and the development of codes and algorithms for astronomical applications within the framework of
amateur astronomy, as well as to connect the amateur community with the professional astronomy community and promote cross-collaboration and
ProAm projects between both groups.
