- Museum of the History of Science - http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk -

Observing the Observers, Thursday 28 June, 7pm

Poster for Observing the Observers 23rd June
Tuesday 28 June 7pm

Observing the Observers

Kew Observatory was originally built in 1769 to enable King George III to observe that year’s transit of Venus. Yet it was its work during the nineteenth century that is of the greatest historical interest. Its activities encompassed meteorology, geomagnetism, instrument testing and solar physics. In this talk, Dr Lee Macdonald will explore how a group of astronomers and science devotees at Kew began the world’s first systematic programme of daily solar photography in tandem with observations of the Earth’s magnetic field – a precursor of today’s ground- and space-based programmes that monitor the Sun and ‘space weather’, the Sun’s interactions with the Earth and other planets. The talk will also describe how Kew Observatory pioneered the testing of scientific instruments and became the originating institution of the present-day National Physical Laboratory.

Free booking available at www.bit.ly/mhs-events [1].

Doors open at 6.30pm.