Sorry if this is thought to be too far off the subject of sundials, but
can anyone explain the principle of the calculations to determine the
Sun's distance from the Transit data?
As I understand it, the minimum you need is the time of (say, first
internal contact) at two widely separated places. I would like to
understand just the basic principle (without going in to all the
complications of exactly where the two places are, different lat/long,
curvature of the earth, and I am sure much much more). Leaving out the
complications, I feel sure it must be possible to explain the underlying
idea, but I have not found it in the few books I have tried.
--
John Foad
-
