Abstract
This chapter first outlines the meaning of ‘almanac’ and ‘ephemeris’, the two nouns used by Nevil Maskelyne to characterise a new annual publication, introduced in 1767 as an aid to the application of the lunar distance method for finding longitude at sea. He and Robert Waddington experimented with the method on voyages to and from St Helena in 1761–2, and Maskelyne did so again on an expedition to Barbados, 1773–4. On his return, he introduced his plan for a Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris to the Board of Longitude. It was approved and funded, allowing Maskelyne to move ahead with plans for content and production, and with recruiting the necessary assistants as computers and comparers. The chapter describes the arrangements he devised and implemented for ensuring accuracy and the contents of volumes. It concludes with reflections on the nature of his achievement.
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Bennett, J. (2020). The First Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris. In: Seidelmann, P., Hohenkerk, C. (eds) The History of Celestial Navigation. Historical & Cultural Astronomy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43631-5_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43631-5_4
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