Path of comets
Date
21 January 1665
Creator
Unknown, Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Manuscript page number
vol1 p258
Material
Dimensions
height (page): 300mm
width (page): 180mm
width (page): 180mm
Subject
Content object
Description
A figure found among the papers of Jeremiah Horrocks (?1617-1641) illustrating his study of a comet's path, which appears elliptical. This is the figure enclosed with the original letter (EL/W1/14) sent by John Wallis to Henry Oldenburg dated 21 January 1665, where Wallis points out that Johannes Hevelius's hypothesis about the motion of comets is not new. The letter was read to the Royal Society on 25 January 1665.
This is copied from LBO/1/221a.
This is copied from LBO/1/221a.
Object history
At the meeting of the Royal Society on 25 January 1665, ‘There was read a letter from Dr. Wallis to Mr. Oldenburg, dated at Oxford January 21, 1664/5, containing several observations of his upon the comet, and upon Mr. Hevelius’s and Mr. Horrox’s hypotheses concerning the nature of comets in general (Birch 2:11).
Related fellows
John Wallis (1650, British) , Mathematician
Johannes Hevelius (1611 - 1687, German/Polish) , Astronomer
Johannes Hevelius (1611 - 1687, German/Polish) , Astronomer
Associated place