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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Unpublished paper, 'Observations and conjectures on the state, motion, and phenomena of heat, in comets' by Samuel Williams

Reference number: AP/6/20

Date: 1790

Description

Williams discusses the nature of celestial bodies other than the Sun, positing that they behave differently and produce light and heat in a different way. His essay explores the degree of heat that planets and comets receive from the Sun, what happens to this heat once received, and the effects of this heat on these bodies. Corrections appear in ink throughout.

Subject: Astronomy

Reference number
AP/6/20
Earliest possible date
1790
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
32 pages
Format
Manuscript

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Citation

Unpublished paper, 'Observations and conjectures on the state, motion, and phenomena of heat, in comets' by Samuel Williams, 1790, AP/6/20, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_6_20/unpublished-paper-observations-and-conjectures-on-the-state-motion-and-phenomena-of-heat-in-comets-by-samuel-williams, accessed on 15 March 2026

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_6_20/unpublished-paper-observations-and-conjectures-on-the-state-motion-and-phenomena-of-heat-in-comets-by-samuel-williams

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is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.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