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Paper, 'Astronomical observations and experiments, selected for the purpose of ascertaining the relative distances of clusters of stars, and of investigating how far the power of our telescopes may be expected to reach into space when directed to ambiguous celestial objects' by Sir Wm [William] Herschel

Reference number: PT/12/23

Date: 1818

Description

28 manuscript pages and two plates showing an arrangement of stars in a celestial globe and diagrams for finding azimuths and distances of stars.

Subject: Astronomy

Published in Philosophical Transactions as 'Astronomical observations and experiments, selected for the purpose of ascertaining the relative distances of clusters of stars, and of investigating how far the power of our telescopes may be expected to reach into space, when directed to ambiguous celestial objects'.

Written by Herschel in Slough near Windsor. Read 11 June 1818.

Abstract published in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society of London], Volume 2, 1833.

Reference number
PT/12/23
Earliest possible date
1818
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
30 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

William Herschel

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Citation

William Herschel, Paper, 'Astronomical observations and experiments, selected for the purpose of ascertaining the relative distances of clusters of stars, and of investigating how far the power of our telescopes may be expected to reach into space when directed to ambiguous celestial objects' by Sir Wm [William] Herschel, 1818, PT/12/23, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/pt_12_23/paper-astronomical-observations-and-experiments-selected-for-the-purpose-of-ascertaining-the-relative-distances-of-clusters-of-stars-and-of-investigating-how-far-the-power-of-our-telescopes-may-be-expected-to-reach-into-space-when-directed-to-ambiguous-celestial-objects-by-sir-wm-william-herschel, accessed on 04 December 2025

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  • Philosophical Transactions

    The 'Philosophical Transactions' collection comprises manuscript versions of papers published in The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, the world’s first and longest continuously running journal dedicated to science.

    Dates: 1802 - 1865

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