Re:GPS will broadcast a 0 second leap second in 128 days. Th...
by tzs on Saturday July 24, 2021 @10:34PM
(#27946200)
> You still need an accurate clock even if you can use a view of the sky, right?
Yup. In the 18th century figuring out a way to get accurate enough time at sea to allow accurate navigation was one of the most pressing problems for the various countries trying to establish themselves as major players in the New World.
Whichever country figured it out first would gain a significant military and economic advantage for as long as they could keep it secret.
An excellent book about this is "Longitude" by Dava Sobel [1].
Yup. In the 18th century figuring out a way to get accurate enough time at sea to allow accurate navigation was one of the most pressing problems for the various countries trying to establish themselves as major players in the New World.
Whichever country figured it out first would gain a significant military and economic advantage for as long as they could keep it secret.
An excellent book about this is "Longitude" by Dava Sobel [1].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_(book)