scholarly journals XXXIX. Astronomical observations made at Cavan, near Strabane, in the county of Donegal, Ireland, by appointment of the Royal Society, by Mr. Charles Mason

1771 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 454-496
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Astronomical Observations

Equal Altitudes of the Sun and Stars.

scholarly journals VIII. Astronomical observations. In two letters from M. Francis de Zach, Professor of Mathematics, and Member of the Royal Academies of Sciences at Marseilles, Dijon, and Lyons, to Mr. Tiberius Cavallo, F. R. S

1785 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 137-152
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Vernal Equinox ◽  
Astronomical Observations ◽  
Pendulum Clock ◽  
Jupiter’S Satellites

Sir, I send you the account of the observations on the eclipse of the moon, which I have made together with the rev. Father Le Fevre, Astronomer at Lyons, in the Observatory called au grand Collège ; to which I shall add the observations of the vernal equinox; some observation son Jupiter's satellites, made at Marseilles by M. Saint Jacques de Sylvabelle; and, lastly, a new solution of a problem that occurs in computing the orbits of comets. If you think that these observations do in any way deserve the notice of the Royal Society, I ascertain the going of the pendulum clock, I took several corresponding altitudes of the sun, which you will find in the following table.On the day of the eclipse the sky was very serene, nothing could be finer, and it continued so during the observation.

scholarly journals XLI. Introduction to the following observations, made by Messieurs Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, for determining the length of a degree of latitude, in the provinces of Maryland and Pennsylvania, in North America; by the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne, B. D. F. R. S. Astronomer Royal

1768 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 270-273 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Astronomical Observations ◽  
Cape Of Good Hope ◽  
The Right ◽  
Nevil Maskelyne

Messieurs Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, who observed the last transit of Venus over the sun, at the Cape of Good Hope, under the direction of the Royal Society, had been since engaged, by the Right Honourable Lord Baltimore and the Honourable Mr. Penn, to settle the limits between the provinces of Maryland and Pennsylvania, in North America; which they performed partly by trigonometrical, and partly by astronomical observations.

scholarly journals X. Report of the observations of the total solar eclipse of august 29, 1886, made at the Island of Carriacou

1889 ◽  
Vol 180 ◽  
pp. 351-362
Keyword(s):  
Solar Eclipse ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Total Solar Eclipse ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Committee Meeting ◽  
The West ◽  
Astronomical Observations ◽  
Windward Islands ◽  
Green Island

The astronomers appointed by the Committee of the Royal Society to proceed to the West Indies to observe the total eclipse of the Sun on the morning of August 29, sailed together from Southampton in the R. M. S. “Nile,” Captain Gillies, on July 29, and, after a fair passage, anchored at Barbados at daybreak on August 11. A committee meeting on board had partly fixed our plans with regard to the stations of observation, so that, when we found two of H. M.’s gunboats awaiting our arrival in the roadstead, the instruments of Mr. Maunder and of the Rev. S. J. Perry were, after consultation with the commanders of H.M/s vessels, at once transferred to the “Bullfrog,” whilst the remainder of the instruments found a ready berth on the deck of H. M. S. “Fantôme,” which, being the larger of the two unboats, was reserved for the observers destined for Grenada and its immediate vicinity. Both the war-vessels started the same morning for Grenada, Mr. Lockyer and Dr. Thorpe sailing on board the “Fantome,” in order to secure the earliest possible interview with the Governor of the Windward Islands. The rest of the astronomers left the same evening in the R. M. S. “Eden,” Captain Mackenzie, and, after touching at St. Vincent, arrived at Grenada early on the afternoon of the 12th. The private luggage of Mr. Maunder and of the Rev. S. J. Perry was immediately placed on board H. M. S.“Bullfrog,” where they received the heartiest welcome from Captain Masterman, R. N., who devoted the best part of his own cabin to Father Perry, and found a comfortable private cabin for Mr. Maunder. Captain Archer, R. N., had also arrived at Grenada in command of H. M. S. “Fantome”; and the “Sparrowhawk,” a surveying vessel, commanded by Captain Oldham, R. N., was anchored in the harbour of St. George, her officers having been placed by the Hydrographer of the Admiralty at the disposal of the expedition. Previous to our arrival Governor Sendall, most ably assisted by Captain Melling, had personally inspected most of the best sites for the astronomical observations, collected all existing records of the weather, and designed huts for the protection of the instruments. Carriacou and Green Island were told off for the northern station, to be occupied by Father Perry and Mr. Maunder, assisted by the officers and men of H. M. S. “Bullfrog” and by Sub-Lieutenant Helby, of H. M. S. “Sparrowhawk.” It was thought, however, more advisable not to separate the members of this party by a distance of some twenty miles, and, therefore, the more northerly island of Carriacou was fixed upon as the site best suited for both observers.

scholarly journals GERBERT OF AURILLAC: ASTRONOMY AND GEOMETRY IN TENTH CENTURY EUROPE

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 467-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
COSTANTINO SIGISMONDI
Keyword(s):  
Rational Approximation ◽  
Equilateral Triangle ◽  
Tenth Century ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Astronomical Observations ◽  
The North ◽  
Celestial Pole ◽  
Gerbert Of Aurillac

Gerbert of Aurillac was the most prominent personality of the tenth century: astronomer, organ builder and music theoretician, mathematician, philosopher, and finally pope with the name of Silvester II (999–1003). Gerbert introduced firstly the arabic numbers in Europe, invented an abacus for speeding the calculations and found a rational approximation for the equilateral triangle area, in the letter to Adelbold here discussed. Gerbert described a semi-sphere to Constantine of Fleury with built-in sighting tubes, used for astronomical observations. The procedure to identify the star nearest to the North celestial pole is very accurate and still in use in the XII century, when Computatrix was the name of Polaris. For didactical purposes the Polaris would have been precise enough and much less time consuming, but here Gerbert was clearly aligning a precise equatorial mount for a fixed instrument for accurate daytime observations. Through the sighting tubes it was possible to detect equinoxes and solstices by observing the Sun in the corresponding days. The horalogium of Magdeburg was probably a big and fixed-mount nocturlabe, always pointing the star near the celestial pole.

scholarly journals I.—Secular Earth-Creep

1909 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 145-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. L. Schwarz
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Diurnal Variation ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Special Design ◽  
Important Paper ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Gravitational Pull ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Horizontal Pendulum

Dr. J. R. Sutton has recently read a most important paper to the Royal Society of South Africa on the diurnal variation of level at Kimberley. The paper gave the preliminary results of observations made during the course of three years upon the variation of the level of the ground as recorded by a large horizontal pendulum of a special design made for the author by the Cambridge Instrument Company. It appeared from the results that the movements in the surface of the ground, which set up corresponding movements in the pendulum, were very great. The maximum westerly elongation of the extremity of the pendulum occurred about 5.30 a.m., the maximum easterly about 4.15 p.m., the medium positions a little before 11 a.m. and 9.30 p.m. Geometrically these movements may be represented on the hypothesis that the hemisphere facing the sun bulges out, forming a sort of meniscus to the geosphere. The rise and fall of the surface of the ground which such a supposition would postulate is enormous, and the very magnitude has led Dr. Sutton to hesitate in giving the figures. There can, however, be very little doubt that some rise and fall in the earth's surface is occasioned by the sun's gravitational pull, although the present figures may have to be lessened by taking into consideration other causes which contribute to the disturbance of the pendulum.

scholarly journals XXXIV. On the transit of Venus in 1769. To the Right Honourable The Earl of Morton, President to the Council and Fellows of the Royal Society, this discourse is, with all humility, inscribed, by their humble servant, Thomas Hornsby

1765 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 326-344 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Theory Of Gravity ◽  
The Right ◽  
Made In

The observations of the late transit of Venus, though made with all possible care and accuracy, have not enabled us to determine with certainty the real quantity of the sun's parallax; since, by a comparison of the observations made in several parts of the globe, the sun's parallax is not less than 8" 1/2, nor does it seem to exceed 10". From the labours of those gentlemen, who have attempted to deduce this quantity from the theory of gravity, it should seem that the earth performs its annual revolution round the sun at a greater distance than is generally imagined: since Mr. Professor Stewart has determined the sun's parallax to be only 6', 9, and Mr. Mayer, the late celebrated Professor at Gottingen, who hath brought the lunar tables to a degree of perfection almost unexpected, is of opinion that it cannot exceed 8".

scholarly journals XXI. On the dispersive power of the atmosphere, and its effect on astronomical observations

1815 ◽  
Vol 105 ◽  
pp. 375-383
Keyword(s):  
The Sun ◽  
Astronomical Observations ◽  
Dark Glass ◽  
Dispersive Power

Notwithstanding the pains which astronomers have taken to determine accurately the refraction of mixed light, nothing, I believe, has ever been done towards ascertaining the dispersive power of common air, or comparative degree of refrangibility of the differently coloured rays in their passage through our atmosphere. The importance of such an inquiry, however, must be obvious to every one who duly considers the effect which the different degrees of refrangibility of the variously coloured lights must necessarily produce in the apparent situations of differently coloured objects. Stars of different colours must be differently refracted, and the apparent altitude of the sun must vary according to the colour of the dark glass through which he is viewed.

New Zealand, New Zealanders and the Royal Society

1994 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-281 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Society Islands ◽  
James Cook ◽  
Group Of Seven ◽  
New Zealand Flora ◽  
Natural Historian

On 5 May 1768 Lieutenant James Cook was chosen by the Admiralty to take command of a Royal Society expedition funded by George III on the ship Endeavour , the purpose being to sail to a suitable point (Tahiti) in the Southern Pacific from which to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun on 3 June 1769. It was thought that, by observing the transit from different points on Earth, it would be possible to determine the distance of the Earth from both Venus and the Sun. The Royal Society asked that Joseph Banks (then a young Fellow aged 25) and a group of seven be allowed to join. Among them were two artists, Alexander Buchan and Sydney Parkinson, who were employed to draw views and specimens of natural historical interest, and Daniel Carl Solander a distinguished Swedish natural historian. Banks’s enthusiasm ensured that the voyage was exceptionally well equipped to handle natural historical discoveries. Having observed the transit of Venus, Cook was secretly under orders from the Admiralty then to sail to 40° south in search of the supposed Great Southern Continent; if not encountered, he was then to head due west to find the east coast of New Zealand. Following these instructions, Cook arrived at New Zealand on 6 October 1769. He then initiated the first detailed geographical survey of New Zealand, and Banks and Solander began putting together their rich collections of New Zealand flora; Cook also observed the transit of Mercury in Mercury Bay. On his second voyage in 1772 Cook went further south, entered the Antarctic circle twice (to 71° 10' S) and ruled out the existence of a Great Southern Continent, and first defined Antarctica as we know it. He returned to London in 1775 to be promoted to Captain and elected to the Royal Society. Banks went on to be elected President in 1778, a post which he held for nearly 42 years. Three other ties between Cook and the Royal Society include the naming of the Society Islands after his sponsors, the testing of a new chronometer for them, and a report to the Society on scurvy, which was to have great consequences for the future health of seamen. The Royal Society was thus instrumental in making possible Cook’s voyages, the outcome of which was a set of pioneering geographical, botanical, geological and anthropological descriptions of New Zealand. Here we trace some aspects of the subsequent interactions between New Zealand and the Royal Society by outlining the careers of relevant Fellows, namely (a) those foreign-born Fellows (30 identified) who spent parts of their careers in New Zealand, and (b) those New Zealand-born scientists (34) who have been elected Fellows for their work, whether carried out in New Zealand or elsewhere.

scholarly journals XXVIII. On the discordances between the sun's observed and computed right ascensions, as determined at the Blackman-street observatory, in the years 1821 and 1822; with experiments to show that they did not originate in instrumental derangement. also a description of the seven-feet transit with which the observations were procured, and upon which the experiments were made

1826 ◽  
Vol 116 ◽  
pp. 423-483 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Accurate Knowledge ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Right Ascension ◽  
Solar Rays

In presenting to the Royal Society the following pages, I am well aware that some apology is necessary; the subject however to which they refer being intimately connected with the progress of astronomy, I am induced to hope that the Society will still receive with indulgence, what would long since have been communicated to them, had other astronomical pursuits allowed me the opportunity. That the sun's right ascension, found by observation , frequently disagrees with that afforded by calculation , astronomers I believe now generally admit; an opinion however has been as generally entertained, that the discordances were the results of instrumental inaccuracy, occasioned by the effects of the solar rays upon certain parts of the instrument; hence observations of the sun have fallen into disrepute, whenever an accurate knowledge of the time is the object of research.

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