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Transit instruments collect astronomical data for navigation and star chart creation. They consist of a telescope aligned with a meridian, and an observer notes where a star crosses it. Precision is critical, and accurate clocks are needed. Modern companies still produce them for education and surveying purposes.
A transit instrument is used to collect astronomical data for navigational purposes and create star charts. Combined with a highly accurate clock, it can provide information about where someone is on Earth, which can be critical for navigation. Basic variations on such devices were used by a number of ancient cultures and continued to be vital throughout the 20th century as new methods of navigation became available. Satellites and related technology provide modern navigational information to help people stay on track and provide new information to map makers.
This device consists of a telescope mounted on an axis so that it can be aligned with a meridian, a north-south line that runs along the surface of the Earth. It can swing freely along the meridian, but it doesn’t move from side to side. An observer uses the transit tool to note where a star crosses the meridian, noting the angle on the tool and the time recorded by the watch. This allows people to perform calculations to determine where they are.
As the Earth moves, the positions of the stars change relative to an observer on the surface. Tracking these locations can let people know where they are, based on a star map with information about the movements of the stars. Map makers and map makers could use a transit tool to create accurate star maps for different regions and times of the year, while navigators relied on these maps to get location fixes.
Precision placement is critical with a transit tool. A small error can become large when magnified over the distances involved in astronomical observations. Tight engineering tolerances on historic instruments ensured that operators could rely on their measurements. They also needed highly accurate clocks, down to the second, so that they could accurately time the movement of the stars across the meridian. Developing an accurate clock that worked aboard ships proved a significant challenge for early inventors.
Modern companies continue to produce transit tools. They are still used for some observations, as well as in education, where people may want to be able to make celestial observations to learn more about previous navigational techniques. Surveyors and people in related professions may use a transit tool for some of the observations they need to make in the field while measuring and recording geographic information for mapping, site preparation, and other tasks.
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