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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Unpublished paper, 'A method of deducing the longitude from the moon's right ascension' by Thos [Thomas] Kerigan

Reference number: AP/15/21

Date: 28 January 1832

Description

Kerigan explains his method for finding the true meridian of the place of observation from the moon's right ascension. He provides examples of these calculations and states that when a chronometer with the mean time at Greenwich is also used, the longitude of any place can be determined. Includes one figure in the text.

Subject: Geodesy / Astronomy

Written by Kerigan in Portsea [Porstmouth, England]. Communicated by Sir Edwd [Edward] Codrington. Received by the Royal Society from the President [Augustus Frederick] on 18 February 1832. Read 15 March 1832.

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 3 of Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society] as 'A method of deducing the longitude from the moon’s right ascension'.

Reference number
AP/15/21
Earliest possible date
28 January 1832
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
13 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

Thomas Kerigan

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Citation

Thomas Kerigan, Unpublished paper, 'A method of deducing the longitude from the moon's right ascension' by Thos [Thomas] Kerigan, 28 January 1832, AP/15/21, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_15_21/unpublished-paper-a-method-of-deducing-the-longitude-from-the-moons-right-ascension-by-thos-thomas-kerigan, accessed on 15 August 2026

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_15_21/unpublished-paper-a-method-of-deducing-the-longitude-from-the-moons-right-ascension-by-thos-thomas-kerigan

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  • Archived Papers

    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

    Dates: 1768 - 1989

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