In 1838, Samuel Rowbotham conducted a series of observations along the Old Bedford River, a six-mile stretch of dead-straight water in Norfolk, England. It remains one of the most cited experiments in this community’s history.
This year, a small group of members traveled to a comparably long, straight waterway to attempt a modern re-creation using contemporary optics, including a high-magnification spotting scope and a stabilized camera rig. We document the full setup, the raw footage, and the ongoing debate over how atmospheric refraction should be accounted for in interpreting the results.
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