A visit to Greenwich

To see Harrison's clocks in full swing (although his H4 is currently elsewhere) is quite a sight considering the sprawling history, both technical and social that surrounds the moving gears, springs and other innovations.

The young man exuding confidence announced himself as a Greenwich astronomer but like most here beat a hasty retreat when the issue of the RA/Dec framework vs the Lat/Long system was brought up as both the innovation and the mistake was made in that very building.

The entire history of timekeeping can be constructed from my postings to this newsgroup while encompassing all the major innovations and sometimes their limitations. The separation and combination of timekeeping can be an intricate business for those willing to approach the topic with honesty and decency but it is never so intricate that it loses the observer in a contrived way.

I am proud of my own accomplishments as I should be insofar as among the displays at the Greenwich observatory are huge gaps that have been filled in here over the years while allowing the old astronomers and timekeepers the heavy lifting an exquisite judgments.

In science history this newsgroup alone will have a special place whether it is recognised or not given that most that now remain are like that empirical theorist today who found himself ill-prepared for genuine astronomy and timekeeping.