ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Marine chronometer

A marine chronometer is a fancy clock that was really important for sailors to use when exploring the ocean a long time ago.

Imagine you're playing pirates in a big field with a few of your friends. You're having so much fun, but you have to go home when it gets dark. But how do you know when it's nighttime? You might look up at the sky and see the sun is setting, or you might look at your watch and see that it's getting late.

Sailors faced a similar problem when traveling on a ship over the vast sea. They couldn't just look at the sky or at their regular watch because they were out in the middle of nowhere and couldn't see anything. Plus, when they sailed to different parts of the world, the time would change. For example, if they sailed west, the time would go back and if they sailed east, it would go forward. This made keeping track of time really hard!

So, some smart people invented the marine chronometer. It was a special clock that was designed to work perfectly on a ship even when it was pitching and rolling on the waves. But most importantly, the marine chronometer could keep accurate time over long distances and different time zones. This meant that sailors could figure out exactly where they were on the ocean and how far they had traveled. It was like having a map and a compass all in one!

The marine chronometer was really important because it helped sailors navigate the oceans and explore new parts of the world. Without it, they would have been lost at sea without any idea of where they were or how to get back home.