[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Mike Mickelson) writes: > It would be interesting to see how an experienced ancient observer, (or > modern one) with out the aid of an accurate clock, could have determined the > difference between true and mean civil noon. Water clocks ....
Even ancient observers had a time piece available much more accurate than a water clock or a mechanical clock: the motion of the stars. As I tried to make clear before, it is not necessary to decide whether the sun or the stars move more regularly in order to discover the equation of time. The only tricky part is observing the position of the sun and the stars at the same time, but that should be possible with the brightest stars near sunrise and sunset. Art Carlson
