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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Unpublished paper, 'On the Surya Siddhanta (Hindoo [sic] astronomy)' by William Brennand

Reference number: AP/68/1

Date: 1891

Description

Brennand writes on the Surya Siddhanta, a Sanskrit treatise in Indian astronomy dated to 505 CE. He begins with a short history of Indian astronomy from a European perspective. He writes on the revolutions of the celestial bodies, trigonometrical formulae, the calculation and projection of lunar and solar eclipses and the cycle of Jupiter.

Annotations in pencil throughout. Includes five geometrical diagrams and three astrological/astronomical diagrams.

Subject: Astronomy

Received 10 November 1891. Read 10 December 1891. Communicated by C B [Charles Baron] Clarke.

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 50 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On hindoo [sic] astronomy'.

A version of this paper was published by Brennand as 'Hindu Astronomy' (London: Straker and Sons, 1896).

Reference number
AP/68/1
Earliest possible date
1891
Physical description
Ink and graphite pencil on paper
Page extent
354 pages
Format
Manuscript
Diagram

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Citation

Unpublished paper, 'On the Surya Siddhanta (Hindoo [sic] astronomy)' by William Brennand, 1891, AP/68/1, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_68_1/unpublished-paper-on-the-surya-siddhanta-hindoo-sic-astronomy-by-william-brennand, accessed on 18 April 2026

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_68_1/unpublished-paper-on-the-surya-siddhanta-hindoo-sic-astronomy-by-william-brennand

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is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.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