Upper Pathfinders

526 Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude (NOVA, PBS) - companion website to 1998 PBS program based on the bestselling book Longitude by Dava Sobel, the program tells the story of how an unknown genius, John Harrison, discovered the key to navigating on the open seas and thus solved one of the thorniest problems of the 1700s.

526 - Hipparchus: The Table of Chords. / Richard Means, 1/1/2006, p3, 1p. EBSCO Science Reference Center , accessed 6 October 2007.

ABSTRACT: The later years and legacy of Greek astronomer Hipparchus are discussed. Hipparchus was able to use the information he had on the moon's parallax during an eclipse to make a rudimentary system of longitudinal lines. Historians credit Hipparchus as the first person to use trigonometry. Hipparchus harshly criticized the geographical work of Eratosthenes. In his criticism, Hipparchus wrote of the link between geography and astronomy, and referred to his own success in determining lines of longitude and latitude.

526 - The Determination of Longitude, 2006, p1-1, 1p. EBSCO Science Reference Center , accessed 6 October 2007.

ABSTRACT: The article provides information on determining longitude. Although the system of latitude and longitude had been used since the time of Ptolemy in the 2nd century, it was not until the late 18th century that navigation became a reliable art. The problem of measuring longitude is that while the latitude of any point of the earth can be determined by careful measurements of the altitude of the sun or stars, longitude is a different matter. To find longitude at sea, a navigator had to note the time when the sun or a star appeared due south.

526 - Navigation. / Alex Keller. Encyclopedia of the Scientific Revolution; 2000, p453-455, 3p, 1bw. EBSCO Science Reference Center , accessed 6 October 2007.

529 - COORDINATES, TIME, AND CALENDARS. Peterson Field Guide to Stars & Planets; 2000, p495-502, 8p. EBSCO Science Reference Center , accessed 6 October 2007.

ABSTACT: The article presents information about time coordinates and calendars on based on the earth's rotation. As the earth rotates on its axis, the sky overhead seems to turn in the opposite direction. The stars appear to rise in the east, move overhead in the course of the night, and set in the west. It is convenient for many purposes to think of the stars as being fixed on a celestial sphere that rotates every 24 hours. On the surface of the earth, the positions of cities and towns are measured in longitude and latitude. Longitude is measured by lines that extend from north pole to south pole, usually up to 180 degree east and 180 degree west of a zero-degree line that goes through Greenwich, England. Latitude on earth is measured by parallel lines that mark the number of degrees north or south of the equator. Astronomers have set up a similar set of coordinates in the sky. The celestial equator is an imaginary line around the sky, above the earth's equator. The celestial poles are the imaginary points where extensions of the earth's axis into space would meet the celestial sphere and they lie above the earth's poles.

911 Latitude and Longitude. Scholastic News -- Edition 4; 10/27/2003 Supplement, Vol. 66 Issue 7, p6-6, 1p, 1bw. EBSCO Science Reference Center , accessed 6 October 2007. [Choose PDF file for best view]

ABSTRACT: Deals with the importance of latitude and longitude for identifying locations on Earth. Role of map coordinates in pinpointing location; Tip on using coordinates.

911 ATLAS SKILLS. / Max Quanchi. Atlas of the Pacific Islands, 2002, p1. EBSCO History Reference Center , accessed 6 October 2007.

ABSTRACT: The article presents ways for locating places in an atlas. The table of contents, found at the beginning of the atlas, will help you locate broad areas such as continents or groups of countries. On the other hand, the index, located at the end of the atlas, lists specific place names alphabetically. As well, basic grid systems are good for finding the general location of a feature quickly. Latitude and longitude will help readers to pinpoint places with far greater accuracy. Also, lines running east-west across the map are called parallels of latitude.

911 Latitude and Longitude. / Monkeyshines on Math, Money, & Banking; 2002, p26, 1/2p, 1bw. EBSCO Science Reference Center , accessed 6 October 2007. [Choose PDF file for best view]

ABSTRACT: Focuses on the use of latitude and longitude to measure a sphere.

911 Where are we? / James O. Juvik; Thomas R. Paradise, ; Sonia P. Juvik, Student Atlas of Hawaii, 2000, p18 EBSCO History Reference Center , accessed 6 October 2007.

ABSTRACT: This article discusses ways to indicate the geographical position of Hawaii. One way is to indicate the position of Hawaii in relation to something else. Another way is to show the exact location of Hawaii on the Earth's surface using latitude and longitude. This is a grid system using imaginary lines. Latitude is measured in degrees north and south of the equator, which is at 0 degrees. Lines of equal latitude are called parallels because they run parallel to the equator. Longitude is measured east and west, using lines called meridians that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. The meridian that passes through Greenwich, England, is called the prime meridian. Its longitude is 0 degrees. A map shows that the latitude of Hawaii is about 20 degrees north of the equator, while the longitude is between 155 to 175 degrees west of the prime meridian.

911 How the French do it / Richard Gosnell. Geology Today; Mar/Apr2000, Vol. 16 Issue 2, p61-62, 2p, 1bw. EBSCO Science Reference Center , accessed 6 October 2007.

ABSTRACT: Comments on an article on the Paris Meridian, as published in a 1999 issue of 'Geology Today.' Existence of the Paris Meridian on some geological maps of France; Subdivisions used in French latitude and longitude; French system in domestic maps.

911 "Latitude and longitude." Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 3rd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Discovering Collection . Accessed 6 Oct. 2007. Thomson Gale Document Number: EJ2166031283