Item GPP/3/1 - First astronomical journal'

1 folder (1 item)

Written in English and French.

SUMMARY AND EXTRACTS:
First page, ‘Observations Astronomiques et autres Phenomenes, que mon pere a trouvé trop douteusses pour les ecrire dans son journal; il y en a cependant beaucoup qui ont été faites pendant son absence et qui sont tres bonnes, enfin celles qui sont bonnes douteusses y sont marqué telle avec beaucoup d’exactitude, car je suis tres ponctuelle a y marquer le Cas quon en peut faire selon comme je le pense.’ [“Astronomical observations and other phenomena, which my father found too doubtful to put in his journal …”].

Earliest entry Louvain September 1773. The third page has a set of lists from c.1775 : “Noms des etoilles qui paraissent periodiquement’, ‘Etoiles Doubles’, ‘Nebuleuses’ [Names of stars that appear periodically, Double stars, Nebulas]. Verbal description, sometimes illustrated, of observations of planets, sunspots, and the aurora borealis. Headed Bath 1778, ‘the following Observations were made at Mr Herchells, Kings Street: the instruments made use off were, a Clock with a Second hand, a Quadrant for Equal altitudes, very indifferent, tho sufficient for to get the Noon to 4 or 6 Seconds or Still more exactly; the Tellescope very Good. April the 12th / Em: of [Jupiter]’s Second Sat: by Clock at 7h.48’.29” I Observed with the Trib: Ob: Achro: No. 3 / the same Observation by Mr Herchell 7. 48. 36 with an exceeding good Reflector.’ Further observations were made with Herschel at Bath until May the 7th. The next page gives a measurement of the distances between the wires in ocular No. 2 of the treble object refractor; a further measurement of the angles between the wires is dated September 22nd at Frampton. This is followed by various undated notes: a list of authors on variable stars, a list of a few Variable Stars’ (taken from the Philosophical Transactions and Lalande), the situation (according to different observers) of some nebulae which Mr. Messier could not find, a catalogue of double stars, a note on the unreliability of Tycho’s observations for purposes of comparison. An example using a table attached to Maskelyne’s observations 1765-1774, ‘to find the annual Procession of Fomalhaut in R.A.’. Example for finding the intervals between the wires of the transit at different altitudes, using observations made in 1782 and 1783. Kensington, 1789 - ‘Account of a very singular Fireball’, and unusual appearance of the Aurora Borealis.

At the back of the book: ‘Ideas leading to Inventions or Discoveries / for the Time measurer at sea / construction of a powerfull Telescope’, list of catalogues of fixed stars, how to find the aberration and nutation of a star, to find the apparent time of an observation (example dated 1777), table showing the magnitudes of stars as given in different catalogues, and a table comparing the longitudes of fixed stars as given in Flamsteed’s and Bradley’s catalogues.

Summary and extracts have been provided by a volunteer.

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