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Notes on the solar eclipse of 8 July 1842, from Francis Baily to Sir John Frederick William Herschel

Reference number: HS/19/203

Date: 26 August 1842

Description

Handwritten by Baily, but not signed. Describes the physical appearance of the solar eclipse, considers best way to model the flickering motion of the sun rays using glass. Handwritten description designed to accompany a missing sketch. Baily's observations were published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 5, Issue 25, November 1842.

Reference number
HS/19/203
Earliest possible date
26 August 1842
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
4 pp.

Creator name

Francis Baily

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Citation

Francis Baily, Notes on the solar eclipse of 8 July 1842, from Francis Baily to Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 26 August 1842, HS/19/203, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_19_203/notes-on-the-solar-eclipse-of-8-july-1842-from-francis-baily-to-sir-john-frederick-william-herschel, accessed on 20 April 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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