Credit: © The Royal Society
                             
                         
                     
                         
                         
                             
                                 Image number: RS.10148
                             
                         
                         
                     
                 
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            Halley’s Comet, January 1836
                                Date
                            
                            
                                1838
                            
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            
                                Creator
                            
                            
                                James Basire III (1796 - 1869, British) , Engraver
                            
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            
                                After
                            
                            
                                Thomas Maclear (1794 - 1879, British Irish) , Astronomer
Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819 - 1900, British) , Astronomer
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819 - 1900, British) , Astronomer
                                Object type
                            
                            
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            
                                Library reference
                            
                            
                                Tracts/X21/10
                            
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            
                                Material
                            
                            
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            
                                Technique
                            
                            
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            
                                Dimensions
                            
                            
                                height (print): 270mm
width (print): 400mm
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            width (print): 400mm
                                Subject
                            
                            
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            
                                Content object
                            
                            
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            
                                Description
                            
                            
                                Halley’s Comet on 24, 25 and 28 January 1836 viewed from the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa using a reflecting telescope of 13 ½ inch mirror made by William Herschel. Thomas Maclear’s accompanying description states that: “My young friend and assistant, Mr. C. Piazzi Smyth, has made a few drawings from the sketches I made occasionally, on a comparative scale, derived from the actual measurements. These drawings (contained in four plates) accompany the present paper, and will illustrate the progress of the changes far better than I can describe them.”    
Three figures from plate 1 of the paper “Observations of Halley’s Comet, made at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, in the years 1835 and 1836.” By Thomas Maclear (Admiralty, London, 1838). Originally published in Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 10. Inscribed: top right “Mem. of Roy.Ast.Soc.Vol.X.Plate I”; and lower right “J.Basire, sc.”
Sir Thomas Maclear (1794-1879) was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1831.
Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819-1900) was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1857.
                            
                            
                        
                            
                            
                            Three figures from plate 1 of the paper “Observations of Halley’s Comet, made at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, in the years 1835 and 1836.” By Thomas Maclear (Admiralty, London, 1838). Originally published in Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 10. Inscribed: top right “Mem. of Roy.Ast.Soc.Vol.X.Plate I”; and lower right “J.Basire, sc.”
Sir Thomas Maclear (1794-1879) was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1831.
Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819-1900) was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1857.
                                Associated place