The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Walter's Own General Discussions Exploring & route mapping in the Victorian era?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Seventy-five to one hundred years prior to satellites and GPS technology, tropical rain forests in Amazonia and west central Africa were explored and mapped using traditional means such as mechanical sextants, theodolites, and chronometers. While precisely locating one's position can be accomplished easily with these tools, viewing the sun and horizon are necessary for their proper use. But in these South American and African rain forests often tree canopy completely blotted out the sun. Not only was ground travel easier without floor undergrowth, one traveled in dusk-like near darkness. How did the nineteenth century explores locate their positions with precision? About the only way I can think of is to locate position when starting the trek, then having some sort of ability to precisely measure amount of movement and direction while establishing location when possible. This method might be better than nothing, but to me it's inadequate for its intended purpose. How did Victorian era explorers map their travel route in tropical rain forests? It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it. Sam Levinson | ||
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triangulation with the high points, then draw your own maps. | |||
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Compass and Dead reckoning. Gotta remember there were no accurate maps and explorers spent a lot of time Lost.  Grizz Indeed, no human being has yet lived under conditions which, considering the prevailing climates of the past, can be regarded as normal. John E Pfeiffer, The Emergence of Man Those who can't skin, can hold a leg. Abraham Lincoln Only one war at a time. Abe Again. | |||
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SO, what's new? George "Gun Control is NOT about Guns' "It's about Control!!" Join the NRA today!" LM: NRA, DAV, George L. Dwight | |||
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Like Daniel Boone once said,"I've never been lost;been confused for a few months but never lost." Never mistake motion for action. | |||
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The Indian version I was told is "I'm not lost, Tipi is lost!" Anyway, every wooded area with a canopy overhead also has promontories somewhere that provide a platform where one can observe and draw maps. The proportions may be off but will be accurate enough to be of practical use. As time moves on and the area gets developed then maps can be drawn with more precision, for example an obscured river intersection could have a team go there and build a signal fire that makes smoke seen through the canopy and mapped with greater precision by a team situated at a better location but it seems like a lot of initial explorers/cartographers had as a goal to get from point A to point B alive and secondarily with a map of a workable route and thirdly a map of the general geographic shapes and boundaries. The book "Longitude" by Dava Sobel is the book I used to recommend for people with an interest in this area but I have discovered one that I think is quite a bit better than that one, albeit slightly more technical but still not too much for most people is titled "From Sails to Satellites" by J.E.D. Williams. It was published in 1992 and out of print but available on Amazon and Ebay. If you want to read a book that not only talks about Harrison and his clocks like "Longitude" does, but also mentions other clock makers and also covers subjects like the development of Radar and it's use from the Battle of Britain to the versions that found and killed the U-Boats, to modern GPS systems use on land, sea and air, inertial navigation, Lindberghs Earth-Inductor compass, etc this is the book for it. for every hour in front of the computer you should have 3 hours outside | |||
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My bride and daughters are amused when I can not find the exit in large parking lots, Especially if the parking lot is on top of the hill and it's dark. I've been known to drop it into 4 wheel and make my own exit. I was not lost they did not put the exit in a logical location. Jim "Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force." --Thomas Jefferson | |||
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Longitude was always difficult to predict with accuracy and the British actually offered a prize to anyone who could come up with a way. Voila, the Chronometer. Grizz Indeed, no human being has yet lived under conditions which, considering the prevailing climates of the past, can be regarded as normal. John E Pfeiffer, The Emergence of Man Those who can't skin, can hold a leg. Abraham Lincoln Only one war at a time. Abe Again. | |||
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Grizz you are partially correct as it is extremely diffucult to determine longitude at sea. On land it is not nearly so difficult. Galileo was the first to not only discover that Jupiter had moons, but but also to realize that the moons could be used as a celestial clock when Jupiter was visible in the night sky. Pretty simple to do, observe one of the moons when it is first eclipsed by Jupiter (moon goes behind the planet) then observe the time when it reappears. The time between the two is when the moon is centered exactly behind Jupiter and there were tables computed for this value. Adjust your clock to this time and your clock will be exactly in sync with Paris. Now take your sun sight the next day and measure the exact time the sun is at its highest point. Figure out the time difference between this time and your Paris time and you will know exactly how far East or West you are from Paris and thereby know your longitude. For over 100 years the moons of Jupiter were probably the most effective way of discerning longitude on land. for every hour in front of the computer you should have 3 hours outside | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Walter's Own General Discussions Exploring & route mapping in the Victorian era?
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