James Ferguson's diagram of the 1761 transit from various stations

Object notes   Associations

James Ferguson was renowned for the clarity of his astronomical explanations, diagrams and models. This diagram shows the appearance of the 1761 transit as seen from several different sites: London, the mouth of the Ganges, St Helena and Bencoolen in Sumatra. The image comes from David Brewster?s edition of ?Ferguson?s Astronomy, explained upon Sir Isaac Newton's Principles? (London, 1811).

Source

Object contributed by Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford