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This POD is based on Dava Sobel's "Longitude" book.

John Harrison, who develops a marine chronometer to determine longitude in the 18th century, has trouble developing H-1 (his first attempt at a longitude clock) and is unable to convince Edmund Halley to present his device to the Board of Longitude. He is passed off as a quack.

Nevil Maskelyne develops a scheme to measure longitude using the lunar distance method. However, this method requires that the moon be visible and that the weather be clear. As a result, it will likely be less accurate (at least in the beginning) and less reliable than Harrison's chronometers would have proven to been. It is a bit of an improvement but not reliable enough to win the 20,000 pound prize (it may get the 10K one though).

How does exploration develop? It's likely that marine chronometers will not develop given the preponderance of astronomers on the Board. And note also that the moon is visible to everyone, so once Maskelyne's charts spread anyone can use them.

I wonder if this spurs the development of new star charts, telescopes, and stuff so ship captains can measure the distances between various stars and the moon. For all we know, asteroids are discovered much earlier. You may even get Neptune...

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