Credit: © The Royal Society
Image number: RS.10052
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‘The zodiacal light as seen on the Breed River’
Date
1844
Creator
Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819 - 1900, British) , Astronomer
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Dimensions
height (painting): 212mm
width (painting): 288mm
height (mount): 247mm
width (mount): 330mm
width (painting): 288mm
height (mount): 247mm
width (mount): 330mm
Subject
Description
View of the zodiacal light above a South African landscape featuring a horseman fording the Breed River. Above him, on the riverbank, is a large house. In front of the rider there are two ducks in flight above the water.
Illustration from the unpublished paper "Attempt to apply instrumental measurement to the zodiacal light...”, by Charles Piazzi Smyth. The paper was written or completed on 25 March 1848 and received by the Royal Society on 13 April. It was eventually withdrawn on 2 November 1848.
The central image is framed in red watercolour and has various degrees of ascension and declination inscribed. It is captioned below: “The Zodiacal light, as seen on the Breed River, at the Cape of Good Hope, June 18th 1844, at 5h. a.m.”
Illustration from the unpublished paper "Attempt to apply instrumental measurement to the zodiacal light...”, by Charles Piazzi Smyth. The paper was written or completed on 25 March 1848 and received by the Royal Society on 13 April. It was eventually withdrawn on 2 November 1848.
The central image is framed in red watercolour and has various degrees of ascension and declination inscribed. It is captioned below: “The Zodiacal light, as seen on the Breed River, at the Cape of Good Hope, June 18th 1844, at 5h. a.m.”
Associated place