Sunrise/Sunset and the phases of the moon.

This table gives the times of sunrise and sunset for Lisbon in Portugal. Because Portugal uses British time, and is 33 minutes west of the Greenwich meridiam, the sun does not keep to the hours it would have done in 1809. Nowadays, in May, noon is at 1.30 in the afternoon. Adjusting for a solar noon settled on the Terpsichore before leaving Lisbon we have sunrise at 4.50, and sunset at 7.10 on 19 May.

Both Army and Navy can use this information.

A further table gives the phases of the moon. On 19 May 1809 the moon was between new and first quarter. This will mean *hums* that it will be rising a couple of hours after dawn, and setting a couple of hours after sunset.... It may not be seen much, though, during the day.

Wow!

I have to admit that I had been itching to go and find that info myself... thank you for posting!

Here's the table for Coimbra. The town is 3 minutes (time minutes, not minutes of angle) east of Lisbon, but north, so on 19th May sunrise will be 4.42 and sunset 19.20 - ten minutes difference at each end! I am assuming that all cities, towns, villages and ships used local solar time, since until the railways there was no way of, nor need to, standardise time.

And here's Porto, for when we get there. Which is very close to Coimbra, anyway.