The Day the World Discovered the Sun (42 page)

vs. nautical chronometers,
66
,
68–72
,
221–222

for nautical navigation,
62–63

as uncertain, difficult,
71–72

as essential for British sea power,
222

Lunar position forecast,
63

Lyons, Israel,
78
,
142

Madeira Island,
137–141

Maori of New Zealand,
197–198

Mapson, John,
77–78

Maria Theresa, empress of Holy Roman Empire,
8–9
,
118
,
119
,
124

Marine chairs,
64–65
,
68–69
,
104

Marine watches

created by Harrison,
59
,
67–68

prototypes by Berthoud,
67–68
,
73–74
,
102
,
104

tested on Barbados,
69–72

Maritime clock.
See
Nautical chronometers

Martin, Benjamin,
6

Maskelyne, Nevil

as Astronomer Royal,
77
,
80

Barbados longitude testing,
68–72

collaborates with Lalande,
61–62

lunar longitude methods,
63

methods as staple of navigation,
222

Nautical Almanac
transforms navigation,
77–80
,
141–142

solar parallax analysis,
55–56

St. Helena transit expedition (1761),
38–42

Mason, Charles

Cape Town transit observed (1761),
36–38
,
40

leads Sumatra expedition (1761),
26–34

on St. Helena with Maskelyne,
39–41

surveys Pennsylvania–Maryland border,
173
,
222

Mayer, Tobias,
63

Medina, Salvador de

San José transit observation,
181–186

as Spanish observer on San José mission,
105
,
107
,
109–110
,
113

at Chappe's death,
210

Cassini analyzes, reports on, data,
212

Mercury transit,
41
,
198–199

Merlin
sloop,
43

Mexico City,
106–109

Misión Estero de San José del Cabo.
See
San José del Cabo, Baja, expedition

Monkhouse, Jonathan

Endeavour
rams reef,
200

in Tahiti,
163–164

in Tierra del Fuego,
153

transit observation NW of Tahiti,
175

Monkhouse, William

in Tahiti,
170

transit observation NW of Tahiti,
175

Montre Marine No. 3,
73–74

Morin, Jean-Baptiste,
66

Moskstraumen oceanic vortex,
132

NASA Apollo program,
221

Natural history,
9
,
99
,
109
,
188

Natural science (esp. botany and zoology)

practiced by Banks, Sollander, on Tahiti expedition,
138
,
139–140
,
144

Tierra del Fuego experiences,
150–151

The Nautical Almanac
(Maskelyne)

produced,
78–80

tested,
141–143
,
163–164

used for Hudson's Bay, Tahiti, expeditions (1769),
91

Nautical chronometers

designed by Harrison,
43
,
59

copied by Berthoud,
67–68
,
73–74
,
102

vs. lunar longitude methods,
66
,
68–72
,
221–222

sea watches (
see
Marine watches
)

shown to Lalande by Harrison,
67–68

tested,
68–72
,
73–74
,
102

Navigation

as central to eighteenth-century science,
53

lunar longitude vs. chronometers,
66
,
68–72
,
221–222

Maskelyne's longitude methods,
42
,
61–63

revolutionized by Harrison's chronometers,
59

See also
Longitude

New Zealand

Maoris attack Cook's shore parties,
197–198

mapped accurately by Cook,
198
,
199

Newton, Isaac,
66
,
98
,
173

Niebuhr, Carsten,
127
,
135
,
159

Nöel, Alexandre-Jean

as Chappe's expedition artist,
102
,
113

with Chappe at death,
210

stricken by San José typhus,
207

Northern lights observed from Vardø,
158
,
192
,
194

Norway,
81
,
125–136
.
See also
Vardø, Norway, expedition

Observatio Transitus Veneris . . .
(Hell and Sajnovics),
192
,
194

Observatories

Barbados, constructed by Maskelyne, Green,
70

Cape Town, constructed by Mason, Dixon,
36–37

Misión Estero de San José by Chappe, Medina, Doz,
181–183

Tahiti,
173

Tobolsk, constructed by Chappe,
20–24

Vardø, constructed by Hell, Sajnovics,
134–135
,
155–156
,
159

Observatory of Paris,
53–55
,
208

Observatory of Prague,
119–120

Observatory of University of Vienna,
9–10

Parkinson, Sydney

in Rio,
148

as Tahiti expedition artist,
138
,
199

death,
202

Pauly, Jean

as Chappe's astronomical assistant,
102

in Vera Cruz,
104

San José expedition,
107
,
113
,
180

San José transit observed,
186

on Chappe's final days,
206–210

Pembroke
ship,
86–87

Pendulum clocks

length of seconds differ,
156

San José mission,
181–183

settings, calibrations,
28

Siberia transit measurements,
47

Tahiti transit observed,
173

used for eclipse-longitude measurements,
45

Pericu nation, Baja,
178–179
,
184

Peter III, emperor of Russia,
49–51
,
53
,
121

Peter the Great, czar of Russia,
51
,
85

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
for 1771,
214

Pingré, Alexandre Guy

advocates Easter Island expedition (1769),
99–100

observes transit on Rodrigues (1761),
55

solar parallax measurements,
213
,
218

Planetary orbital paths and distances,
6
,
141
,
215

Planmann, Anders,
192

Portuguese distrust of Britain,
145–149

Positive lightning,
110

Priestly, Joseph,
223

Quadrants (astronomical)

described,
3
,
21

angular separation measurements,
28

on
Endeavour
for Tahiti expedition (1769),
91

and navigating by lunar measurements,
42

of Niebuhr,
127
,
135
,
159

stolen by Tahitian,
171–172

on Vardø expedition,
120

Ramsden, Jesse,
91
,
140–141
,
142

Religious/political influences

on scientific discoveries,
98–99

on Venus transit expeditions,
82–83

Rime of the Ancient Mariner
(Coleridge),
224

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
145–150

Robison, John,
43

Rolim de Moura, Antonio,
145–149

Royal Academy of Sciences, Paris,
52–53
,
72
,
99–100
,
211

Rumovsky, Stephan,
51

Rurutu (Ohetiroa),
196–197

Russia's observations from locations near Lake Baikal (1769),
14
,
51
,
218

Sajnovics, Joannes

intrigue of Denmark's royal court,
189–194

as Jesuit,
117
,
162

Vardø expedition (1769),
117–136
,
160–162

life in Vardø,
157–159

on other arctic transit astronomers,
188–189

writes book on Lapp/Hungarian languages,
193

Hornsby analyzes transit data,
215

Sami (Lapland dialect),
158
,
192
,
193

San José del Cabo, Baja, expedition (1769)

crew, observers,
1–3

voyage by sea, cross-country,
101–110
,
112–118

Misión Estero observatory site,
178–183
,
205–215

precise latitude/longitude determined by Chappe,
208

transit preparations, observations,
181–186

typhus/jail fever deadly epidemic,
114
,
178–179
,
186
,
205–209

Cassini analyzes expedition data,
212

data analyzed by Hornsby,
214–215

Scanderoon,
32

Schleswig-Holstein dukedom,
120–122

Scurvy,
139–140
,
167–168
,
223

Sea clocks.
See
Nautical chronometers Short, James

advocates for Pacific mission (1769),
81
,
83–84

as expert telescope maker,
91
,
173

Siberia expedition (1761)

sanctioned by Elizabeth of Russia,
13–14

voyage,
6
,
11–19

observatory constructed,
20–23

Chappe's solar eclipse observation (1761),
45–46

Tobolsk as Halleyan pole,
10–11

Tobolsk flooded,
24

transit observed,
46–49

Sisson, Jeremiah,
65

Slade, Thomas,
84–87

Slavery conditions in Cape Town,
35

Smith, James,
29–31

Solander, Daniel Carl

as naturalist with Tahiti expedition,
138–140
,
144

Tierra del Fuego experiences,
150–154
,
163

in Tahiti,
169–171

transit observation,
174

Solar distance

accuracy enabled by Venus transit (1769),
6–7
,
191
,
212

as astronomical unit (AU),
118

based on angular shift,
41

to Mercury,
198

using short/long transit times,
100

See also
Solar parallax

Solar eclipses.
See
Eclipse timing for longitude