Stephen Martin Saxby
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Stephen Martin Saxby (21 August 1804 – 11 March 1883)[1] was a British practitioner of a form of meteorological astrology or Pseudo Meteorology in the Victorian Era. Through his calculations he predicted an 1869 storm called the Saxby Gale.[2] Saxby also published a book in 1864 called the Saxby Weather system that taught his methods of Astrological Meteorology. He also distributed lists of days when atmospheric disturbances would occur that were given to sailors of that era so they could anticipate approaching storms. Saxby's Astrological Meteorological methods have inspired others who predict weather using astrology including Ken Ring of New Zealand.
Saxby was born in Kent. He attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He was a lieutenant in the British Royal Navy and lectured on HMS Worcester.[1]
Saxby was an instructor of steam engineers and inventor the "spherograph" for correcting the compass,[1] which he offered to ships.[3] He taught at the Steam Reserve College in Greenwich. Saxby published his weather predictions in the Nautical Magazine, a journal for the merchant marine. He tried to get the attention of the Government Meteorological Department. The Astronomer Royal told Saxby to drop his investigations. In 1861, Saxby sent weather warnings to the marine insurers at Lloyd's of London.[4]
Saxby also tried to interest Robert Fitzroy of the British Meteorological Office. The method of Lunar forecasting was not acceptable to the authorities of the Victorian era.
