Throughout the first hundred years after the discovery of the New World late in the fifteenth century, determining the location and extent of their overseas domains was a principal preoccupation of the Spanish empire.Further complicating the matter were the technical difficulties of calculating longitude. The Spanish monarchy turned to experts in navigation and cosmography to address the problem, and by the mid-sixteenth century had institutionalized cosmographical practice at the House of Trade (Casa de la Contratación) in Seville, the Council of Indies (the King's council in Madrid responsible for the administration of the colonies), and at the court of Philip II (1527--98). This paper examines the instruments and techniques used in one of the projects that resulted from their efforts to produce a more accurate description of the world: the project (1577--88) to determine the longitude of all of Spain's overseas territories using lunar eclipses. The first part of this article discusses the project's conception, scope, and historical precedents. The second part develops mathematical models for the methods used and instruments employed, and also assesses how these were used to yield longitudinal coordinates.
...MoreDescription Examines the instruments and techniques of the Spanish to determine longitude for measuring the extent of their New World territories.
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