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Nevil Maskelyne, known as "the seaman's astronomer", was famous decades after Harrison's death for his astronomical charts. Nevil Maskelyne, however, plays another role in the book - that being the man most determined to defeat Harrison and leave his achievements unrecognized.

Maskelyne was a major proponent of the lunar distance method and was obsessed with finding a solution. He was around forty years younger than Harrison, and he had an elite education. He was also a companion of James Bradley.

Source(s)

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time