Dictionary term
Lunar Distance Table
Direct answer
Lunar Distance Table is a table of predicted angular distances between the Moon and selected bodies for determining Greenwich time.
Lunar Distance Table is a historical longitude table used in historical astronomy, timekeeping, or navigation.
Lunar Distance Table is a historical longitude table used in historical astronomy, timekeeping, or navigation.
An engraved functional orientation; the page explains the real instrument, method, or publication.Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Lunar Distance Table by combining a carefully timed sextant observation with clearing corrections and the matching almanac interpolation.
- Do not use it for
- The method is calculation-heavy and highly sensitive to observation, refraction, parallax, and limb corrections.
- Reference category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Related terms
- Tide Table, Equation of Time Table, Star Atlas, Planisphere
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The story behind Lunar Distance Table
Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century nautical almanacs published lunar distances for practical longitude work.
Lunar Distance Table in spiritual tradition
Lunar Distance Table rewards careful observation, explicit assumptions, and humility about the limits of every model or measurement.
Lunar Distance Table: fact and faith, kept distinct
This is a factual history-of-science, instrument, timekeeping, or navigation reference. It may support wonder and disciplined attention without becoming a claim of fate, worship, or private revelation.
Lunar Distance Table in numerology
Lunar Distance Table is not a numerology claim. Any numbers attached to it should retain their ordinary scientific, calendrical, navigational, or historical meaning unless a separate symbolic interpretation is clearly labeled.
Why Lunar Distance Table matters
Lunar Distance Table matters because it made the Moon into a moving celestial clock before reliable marine chronometers were widely available.
Lunar Distance Table at work: an example
A navigator compares a cleared Moon-star distance with the tabulated sequence to infer Greenwich time.
Where interpretation stops
Lunar Distance Table is presented as sourced astronomy, calendrical, Earth-science, cultural, or instrument-history reference. Definitions should distinguish measured phenomena from civil convention and historical interpretation, preserve location and time dependencies, and avoid turning factual sky data into a deterministic personal claim.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Astronomical and Navigational Almanacs - Official descriptions of the Astronomical Almanac, Nautical Almanac, and their tabular data.
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency: The American Practical Navigator - Official modern reference for navigation principles, celestial observations, sight reduction, and navigational tables.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Also appears in
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-16
Explore Lunar Distance Table
Lunar Distance Table in a book is one thing; Lunar Distance Table in your own birth chart is your life. The Oracle casts your real chart and tells you what it means for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation, free.
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More in Historical Almanacs & Instruments
Common questions
What is Lunar Distance Table?
Lunar Distance Table is a table of predicted angular distances between the Moon and selected bodies for determining Greenwich time.
How is Lunar Distance Table used in an almanac?
Use Lunar Distance Table by combining a carefully timed sextant observation with clearing corrections and the matching almanac interpolation.
What should I avoid when interpreting Lunar Distance Table?
The method is calculation-heavy and highly sensitive to observation, refraction, parallax, and limb corrections.
