Royal Society

Transit of Venus 2012: “marvel at the solar system in motion”

Pete Baker on June 5, 2012, 3:33 pm | Readers 46

As I mentioned back in March, tonight one of the rarest predictable astronomical events will occur – a transit of Venus. [I’m washing my hair! – Ed] What hair? ANYhoo… Since the invention of the greatest human innovation, the telescope, at the beginning of the 17th century, not by Galileo, there have been only 7 such transits. The next time it will happen will be on 11 December 2117. Nasa’s Sun-Earth Day website will be providing a live web cast during the more than …

Open access at Royal Society historical archive

Pete Baker on October 26, 2011, 7:14 pm | Readers 3

From baby steps to giant leaps? As the Guardian’s GrrlScientist notes, the Royal Society, established on Wednesday 28th November 1660, has blown the doors off their historical archive – papers published more than 70 years ago – all the way back to the first issue of Philosophical Transactions in 1665. Not for the first time, but this time it’s permanent. The BBC have picked out some strange tales from the archive. And the Big G’s GrrlScientist is “intensely curious to see your …

“for the promoting of Experimentall Philosophy” – Redux

Pete Baker on November 30, 2010, 10:41 pm | Readers 3

On Wednesday 28th November 1660 twelve men met at Gresham College in London following a lecture there, and constituted themselves into an association “for the promoting of Experimentall Philosophy”. Among them was “Mr Boyle”, likely Robert Boyle, son of the first Earl of Cork, born at Lismore Castle, Co. Waterford, on 25 January 1627, and employer, co-experimenter and friend of Robert Hooke. The Royal Society was born – although the first Royal Charter for the Society was not granted until 1662, with a …