| Reference number | CLP/8ii/74 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Paper, 'An account of the observations of the late solar eclipse made at Edinborough [Edinburgh] on 18 February 1737' by Sir John Clerk |
| Date | [1737] |
| Description | Clerk describes how observations of the eclipse were made from multiple points within 10 miles of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Observations were made by skilled individuals, including Professor of mathematics Colin Mac Laurin, and synchronised by use of canon blasts. The intention of the observations was 'to assist in ascertaining the motions of the moon, on Sir Isaac Newton's theory, upon which a good deal of the doctrine of the longitude will depend'.
Subject: Astronomy
Communicated to the Royal Society by Roger Gale
Published in Philosophical Transactions as 'A collection of observations of the solar eclipse, Feb. 18. 1736-7. Sent to the Royal Society' |
| Language | English |
| Extent | 1p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| Physical description | Ink on paper |
| Digital images | View item on Science in the Making |
| Access status | Open |
| Related material | DOI: 10.1098/rstl.1737.0034 |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | Name | Dates |
| NA7073 | Clerk; Sir; John (1676 - 1755) | 1676 - 1755 |
| NA2848 | Gale; Roger (1672 - 1744) | 1672 - 1744 |