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Bowditch, Nathaniel

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Bowditch, Nathaniel (1773-1838)

US astronomer. He wrote The New American Practical Navigator 1802, having discovered many inaccuracies in the standard navigation guide of the day. Celestial Mechanics 1829-39 was his translation of the first four volumes of French astronomer Pierre Laplace's Traité de mécanique céleste 1799-1825.

Bowditch was born in Salem, Massachusetts. From early youth he showed a bent for mathematics, but was apprenticed to a ship chandler. He had little formal education, but read widely as a merchant sailor 1795-1803, while perfecting his ability in practical navigation. He became president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 1829.



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