KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Taylor Observatory's Window to the Universe lecture series on Saturday, Oct. 22, will present “Measuring Longitude at Sea – A Challenge to 18th Century Astronomers and Clockmakers.”

The event will take place from 7:15 to 11 p.m. at the observatory, 5725 Oak Hills Lane in Kelseyville.

There will be planetarium shows and telescope viewing, weather permitting, before and after the lecture, which begins at 8 p.m.

In 1700, how did a ship at sea determine its exact longitude? The answer: It wasn’t possible.

As a result, ships and cargo were too frequently destroyed by crashes into land. Many sailors lost their lives – 2,000 of them in a tragic accident on the night of Oct. 22, 1707, exactly 309 years before the lecture.

The longitude measurement problem was a famous science challenge of the 1700s and early 1800s. In 1714 the British Parliament offered a £20,000 prize for a workable solution – millions of dollars in today’s currency. 

Would astronomy provide the answer as it did for latitude reckoning? Galileo, Newton and others thought so. Or was there a different answer?

Fascinating schemes materialized in competition for the prize, some of them bizarre. One method involved subliminal communication between injured dogs.

Tim Gill will describe the ultimate answer to the longitude problem in his discussion of this compelling historic topic.

Admission is $5 for adults, and no charge for Lake County students in kindergarten through 12th grades. Donations to benefit Lake County Science education are greatly appreciated.

View the Friends of Taylor Observatory's Facebook page for updates or call 707-262-4121 for more information.