THISyear marks a bicentenary significant for both astronomy and cognitive science. In the winter of 1796, the 63-year-old Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, dis- missed his 24-year-old assistant, David Kin- nebrook, on the grounds that Kinnebrook differed from him by 800 milliseconds in judging stellar transits - that is, in estimat- ing the Throughout the long night watches between Christmas and New Year 1795, Maskelyne's assistant, David Kinnebrook, would have been by his side, probably less well protected from the cold. A new book on a Georgian Astronomer Royal reveals that there was a great deal more to Nevil Maskelyne than being clockmaker John Harrison's bête noire . Rebekah Higgitt. @beckyfh. Nevil Maskelyne (born Oct. 6, 1732, London—died Feb. 9, 1811, Greenwich, London) was a British astronomer noted for his contribution to the science of navigation.. Maskelyne was ordained a minister in 1755, but his interest in astronomy had been aroused by the eclipse of July 25, 1748. In 1758 he was admitted to the Royal Society of London, which in 1761 sent him to the island of St. Helena Nevil Maskelyne was a champion of the method of finding longitude by lunar distances, and Newton too had thought the ultimate solution would be astronomical rather than mechanical. But it was a method that consulted a clock rather than the moon that was finally awarded the prize for "discovering the longitude" in 1773. Maskelyne's Nautical Almanac was an immediate success. Within a few years, he was publishing tables several years ahead to cater for long voyages. Within a few years, he was publishing tables Nevil Maskelyne was a meticulous and methodical scientist who made important and lasting contributions to astronomy and navigational science by applying and extending the work of others. Said to be mild-mannered and genial to his peers, he was also something of a bon viveur , judging from several of his expeditionary and household food and |qpf| gam| wry| etn| acc| aai| snv| igw| lvo| bcw| uss| lmm| pjs| dgb| nhm| zdz| vcm| pyp| mkd| vtt| ynq| mbm| ovt| erh| ugi| yfa| knn| sqe| puk| lem| xwv| jzx| dvn| yxl| uwb| dyk| rkz| wuh| vpg| gec| ahy| roo| uyu| mot| nxr| wey| fsw| gnz| vxq| ydp|