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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Correspondence Explorer

Choose two people to view all letters between them.

Showing 43 letters from 1664–1677

0 letters from Henry Oldenburg; 43 letters from Johannes Hevelius

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Praises the Royal Society; states that he will send his 'Cometographia' when it is published; states that a catalogue of fixed stars must be realised before any further work can take place; states that he is working on his 'Machina Coelestis' but that he needs the observations of King Ulug-Beg, which are found in a Persian manuscript in Oxford

Reference number: EL/H2/1

Thanks for being elected to the Fellowship; observations of the solar eclipse (tables attached); observations of the orbit of Mercury; concerning the manufacture of polemoscopes with four lenses according to his principles Read to the Royal Society on 21 September 1664

Reference number: EL/H2/2
1665

Discussing his method of observing the transit of Mercury; states that he has finished nine books and that he will write about his observations of the comet Original dated 1 June 1665

Reference number: EL/H2/3

By Henry Oldenburg Discussing his method of observing the transit of Mercury

Reference number: EL/H2/4

Discussing his method of observing the transit of Mercury; states that he has finished nine books and that he will write about his observations of the comet

Reference number: EL/H2/5

States that he will publish his observations of the recent comets but wants observations of its motion and appearance as seen in England; wants to see the 'History' of the Royal Society and recent work by Hooke and Boyle

Reference number: EL/H2/7

Sending four more copies of his 'Prodromus Cometicus'

Reference number: EL/H2/8
1666

Concerning the controversy between Auzout and himself about the motion of the first comet

Reference number: EL/H2/9

States that he will be sending four copies of his work 'Descriptio Cometae...' for certain Fellows

Reference number: EL/H2/10

Concerning his controversy with Auzout about observations of the comet; concerning Cassini's discovery of a permanent spot on Jupiter made with Campini's telescope; concerning Burattini's telescope; concerning the Royal Society's 'Natural History' idea Read to the Royal Society on 11 July 1666

Reference number: EL/H2/11

Answering enquiries about 'natural history'; enquiries about a 60-foot telescope so that he can finish his catalogue of fixed stars; sends Remoquietanus's observations of the transit of Mercury across the sun (EL/H2/6); observations of the eclipse of the sun and an eclipse of the moon (tables attached)

Reference number: EL/H2/12

Concerning the delivery of books

Reference number: EL/H2/13
1667

Asks for a 60-foot, or longer, telescope and a full description of 'telescopic sights' fitted to sextants for measuring stellar distances Read to the Royal Society on 14 November 1667

Reference number: EL/H2/14
1668

Concerning the delivery of books with a list; concerning the catalogue for fixed stars and instruments to measure stellar distances Read to the Royal Society on 25 June 1668

Reference number: EL/H2/15

Concerns delivery of his books 'Cometographia' and 'Historia coelestis'

Reference number: EL/H2/16

Observations of the lunar eclipse on 18 November at Danzig, Poland (table attached; figure of lunar eclipse can be found at LBO/2/326). Read to the Royal Society on 10 December 1668

Reference number: EL/H2/17

Still believes that stellar distances cannot be determined using a small instrument even if it has 'telescopic sights'; proposes a challenge to Robert Hooke in relation to this problem; concerning the telescope which the Royal Society sent him; concerning the lenses of Titus Livius Burattini (1617-1683); concerning a certain friend's invention of a clockwork equatorial sundial Read to the Royal Society on 17 December 1668 Postscript to letter has observations of the solar eclipse on 4 November at Danzig with table (figure for solar eclipse found at LBO/2/336) On reverse is the account of the clockwork equatorial sundial with figure in margin Read to the Royal Society on 7 January 1669

Reference number: EL/H2/18

Concerns instruments to measure stellar distances; answering Robert Hooke's questions about comets; concerning distribution of Hevelius's work 'Cometographia' Read to the Royal Society on 14 January 1669

Reference number: EL/H2/19
1669

Concerns sending copies of his printed works; wishes a microscope in the 'Hookian manner' to be made for him, which could have convex lenses inserted so that it might be used as a telescope

Reference number: EL/H2/20
1670

Concerns the microscope and the lenses for the 50-foot telescope; observations of the declination of the magnet; concerning a piece of amber from the Baltic Read to the Royal Society on 21 July 1670

Reference number: EL/H2/21

Observations of new stars found in the constellation Cygnus (tables attached); observations of Saturn made with the 50-foot telescope; concerning the lenses for very long telescope sent by Burattini Read to the Royal Society on 27 October 1670

Reference number: EL/H2/22

Observations of the lunar eclipse (tables attached); concerning the transit of the moon across Venus (table has been numbered with EL/H2/24); observation of a new star under the head of the star constellation Cygnus; observations of amber; concerning payment for lenses; introduces a Swede, Samuel Skutt, to the Royal Society Read to the Royal Society on 17 November 1670 LBO/4/102 for figure showing lunar eclipse Partially printed in 'Philosophical Transactions', vol 5, no 66, p 2023

Reference number: EL/H2/23
1671

Table for the transit of the moon across Venus (observations in EL/H2/23); asking for Christopher Cock's microscopes for Lord Marshal and High General of the Armies of Poland (John Sobieski); promising an account of a 140-foot telescope

Reference number: EL/H2/24

Sends a table for the occultation of two stars in the tail of Aries observed on 14 March 1671 and a table for the occultation of Spica Virginis by the moon observed on 22 April 1671 (original figures found at LBO/4/295 and LBO/4/299) Observations of the new star below the head of the constellation Cygnus Read to the Royal Society on 11 May 1671 Transcription printed in 'Philosophical Transactions', vol 6, no 73, p 2197

Reference number: EL/H2/25

Observations of the occultation of Saturn by the moon on 1 June 1671 Read to the Royal Society on 2 November 1671

Reference number: EL/H2/26

States that M Picard has gone to Uraniburg to determine differences between the meridians at Paris and Uraniburg; that bad weather prevents astronomical observations but that he was able to witness the first satellite in Jupiter's shadow and sends his account (see EL/H2/28) Read to the Royal Society on 2 November 1671

Reference number: EL/H2/27

Observations of: - the eclipse of the moon - occultation of the first satellite in the shadow of Jupiter - the transit of Jupiter by the moon (table attached) - appearance of Saturn with figure Read to the Royal Society on 2 November 1671

Reference number: EL/H2/28
1672

Observations of the comet on 2 March (with pencil figure) and about the new star under the head of the constellation Cygnus, which was seen again Read to the Royal Society on 21 March 1672

Reference number: EL/H2/29

States that a more detailed account of the comet is being sent; wishes to know about the new way of making telescopes in England; that he has obtained the lenses for his 140-foot telescope; that he has not seen the report about the phases of Saturn from the Parisian astronomers; asks that John Flamsteed continue with his predictions of the appulses of the moon to planets and fixed stars because he believes that these provide a more accurate method to observe differences in longitude Read to the Royal Society on 19 June 1672

Reference number: EL/H2/30

Queries the views of the Parisian astronomers about Saturn; sends his figure of Saturn as seen through a 55-foot telescope; concerning the progress of his work 'Machina coelestis'; asks again for the micrometer to be sent which can be inserted into the telescope tube Read to the Royal Society on 6 November 1672

Reference number: EL/H2/32
1673

Sending copies of his 'Machina coelestis' and asks for comments upon it; asks for recent editions of 'Philosophical Transactions' and any other information of interest Read to the Royal Society on 30 October 1673

Reference number: EL/H2/33
1674

Observations of a mock sun (parhelion) at Marienburg (Malbork) in Poland Read at the Royal Society on 23 April 1674 Translation printed in 'Philosophical Transactions', vol 9, no 102, p 26

Reference number: EL/H2/34

Concerning the transit of Mercury across the sun

Reference number: EL/H2/35

Concerning manuscripts of Kepler which Hevelius had purchased; concerning the use of telescopic sights for making positional astronomical observations; concerning a new work by Matthias Wasmuth (1625-88)

Reference number: EL/H2/36

Wishes Christopher Cock to make another microscope for him and discusses the previous one made in 1671; wants to complete the catalogue of fixed stars and asks the Royal Society to commission a person to observe stars around the Antarctic; observations of the lunar eclipse, which was mostly obscured by cloud

Reference number: EL/H2/37
1675

Sends the observations of the lunar eclipse in January 1675 with a copper-engraved figure (see EL/H2/39); wishes for the observations of this eclipse made by the Parisian astronomers to be sent to him Read to the Royal Society on 8 April 1675

Reference number: EL/H2/38

Discussing Robert Hooke's objections to his 'Machina coelestis'; concerning other astronomical observations

Reference number: EL/H2/40
1676

Covering letter for an account of his observations of the solar eclipse enclosed for John Flamsteed (see EL/H2/42) and wishes further correspondence from him

Reference number: EL/H2/43

States that he has written to Flamsteed about various points (not specified) and about his observations of the solar eclipse; hopes that Flamsteed will pass this onto the Royal Society (see EL/H2/44)

Reference number: EL/H2/45

Acknowledging receipt of Flamsteed's letter and accounts of other astronomers; encloses observations of the occultation of Mars made on 1 September (see EL/H2/47)

Reference number: EL/H2/46
1677

Concerning the appearance of the star in the neck of the whale ('mira Ceti') and attaches his ephemerides for the star in the whale's neck and for the one at the head of Cygnus between 28 November 1665 to 1 January 1677 Read to the Royal Society on 25 January 1677 Printed in 'Philosophical Transactions', vol 12, no 134, p 853

Reference number: EL/H2/48

Observations of a new comet in April/May 1677 Printed in 'Philosophical Transactions', vol 12, no 135, p 869

Reference number: EL/H2/50

Further observations of the comet during April and May 1677 Printed in 'Philosophical Transactions', vol 12, no 135, p 871

Reference number: EL/H2/51