moon-culminationn.
/ˌmuːnˌkʌlmᵻˈneɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌmunˌkəlməˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ Now historical.
The crossing of an observer's meridian (culmination) by the edge of the moon or by any of certain stars in the same region of the sky; a record of the time of this occurrence, which may be used in calculating longitude.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > approach or cross meridian
mediationa1500
southing1653
moon-culmination1846
1824 F. Bailey On New Method determining Longitude 15 The apparent time of the moon's culmination at Paris..was 8h16m.]
1846 M. F. Maury Astron. Observ. National Observatory Washington I. App. 87 Formulæ for reducing occultations and moon culminations have been prepared.
1853 C. W. Hackley Elem. Trigonom., Plane & Spherical (ed. 4) 348 The best mode of determining longitude ordinarily is by means of moon culminations.
1881 Science 16 Apr. 172/1 Moon Culminations are more accurate than Lunars [sc. Lunar Distances], but the same in principle.
1924 Sci. Monthly Aug. 132 Moon culminations for longitude, culminations of Polaris for latitude and star occultations formed the early observational program.
1930 Science 7 Nov. 471/1 Upon completion of the new observatory in Washington, Gilliss was assigned to duty on the Coast Survey in reducing..the entire series of moon-culminations previously observed and published by him.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1846