Finding Longitude: How ships, clocks and stars helped solve the longitude problem National Maritime Museum Summary Official publication of the National Maritime Museum's exhibition "Ships, Clocks and Stars: The Quest for Longitude". Official publication of the National Maritime Museum's exhibition "Ships, Clocks and Stars: The Quest for Longitude". 300 years ago, amidst growing frustration from the naval community and pressure from the increasing importance of international trade, the British government passed the 1714 Longitude Act. It was an attempt to solve one of the most pressing problems of the age: how to determine a ship's longitude (east-west position) at sea. With life-changing rewards on offer, the challenge captured the imaginations and talents of astronomers, skilled craftsmen, politicians, seamen and satirists. This beautifully illustrated book is a detailed account of these stories, and how the longitude problem was solved. Highlights of the book include: * Foreword by the fifteenth Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees. * Specially commissioned photographs of the National Maritime Museum's collection. * A new description of the collaborations and conflicts in a tale of technical creativity, scientific innovation and hard commercialism. From the same publisher as Dava Sobel's Longitude, Finding Longitude tells a new story of one of the great achievements of the Georgian age, and how it changed our understanding of the world. Highlights Easy to enjoy: 256 pages · Hardcover By National Maritime Museum Details ISBN: 9780007525867 Author: National Maritime Museum Format: Hardcover Pages: 256 Language: English Publication date: 19 June 2014 Condition: New About the authors National Maritime Museum and Richard Dunn and Rebekah Higgitt and National Maritime Museum (Great Britain) More about this book
