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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Letter, from Wilhelm Struve to Sir John Herschel, dated at Pulkowa

Reference number: HS/17/130

Date: 5 June 1842

Description

Autograph letter signed by sender. Thanks John Frederick William Herschel for his letter [1841-10-10]. Discusses difficulty of measuring distance between a star of primary largeness and a small telescopic neighbor star. Rejects theory that temperature influences observation results. Appreciates John Frederick William Herschel assessment of the correspondence between Wilhelm Struve's work and that of [F. W.] Bessel. Complains confidentially that Bessel neglects to acknowledge Wilhelm Struve's work on parallax, begun a year before Bessel's own. Assures John Frederick William Herschel of Wilhelm Struve's continual efforts in observing new phenomena. Comments on John Frederick William Herschel's 'On the Revision and Rearrangement of the Constellations.'

Reference number
HS/17/130
Earliest possible date
5 June 1842
Page extent
8 pages
Format
Manuscript
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Creator names

Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve

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Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve

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Citation

Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, Letter, from Wilhelm Struve to Sir John Herschel, dated at Pulkowa, 5 June 1842, HS/17/130, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_17_130/letter-from-wilhelm-struve-to-sir-john-herschel-dated-at-pulkowa, accessed on 16 March 2026

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  • Herschel Letters

    This collection of nearly 10,900 letters, drafts, copies and notes is the largest repository of scientific correspondence from and to Sir John Herschel, leading figure of Victorian science.

    Dates: 1807 - 1875

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