Image

Chronometer

Chronometer
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About this item

Title
Chronometer
Content partner
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Collection
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Description

Navigators calculated longitude by measuring the difference between their local noon and noon in Greenwich, England. To stay on course, they needed precise timekeeping. In the second half of the 18th century, ships began carrying chronometers, which kept time very accurately. James Cook carried four on his second voyage to New Zealand in 1772–75. This example in Wellington Museum dates from about 1820.

Format
Image
Date created
2 March 2009
Creator
Melanie Lovell-Smith
Contributing partner
Museum of Wellington City and Sea
URL
https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/6680/chronometer

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