Amson, John Ceres (Author)
British Society for the History of Mathematics Bulletin
Volume: 23
Pages: 58--72
In 1668, James Gregory arrived in St Andrews University following his two-year sojourn at Padua University. He planned to create the first purpose-built astronomical observatory in Britain to take celestial measurements to a new level of accuracy superior to anything else in Europe. In 1673 he had assembled an enviable collection of astronomical instruments and time-keepers of unusually high quality and precision. By the following year he had converted the upper floor of the Old Library into his observatory and constructed the first ever non-ecclesiastical astronomical meridian line in Europe, the longest and most accurate of its kind for many years to come. Recent site surveys and computations by the author show that 'Gregory's pillar', the south mark for his meridian line, is less than 1 metre to the side of the terrestrial geodetic meridian through the telescope bracket in the window of Upper Parliament Hall 2.4 kilometres to the north. What technical methods did Gregory use to achieve what he did? What depths of academic prejudice destroyed his hopes? The author outlines the little that is known and takes the first steps towards unravelling a three-centuries old mystery.
...MoreArticle Gray, Shirley B. (2009) A Detective Story Continued. British Society for the History of Mathematics Bulletin (p. 180).
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