Sir George Biddell Airy

Sir G.B. Airy's 1868 map of possible ToV stations - II

A second version of Airy's 1868 ToV observing map showing some locations for possible Canadian stations. This copy is from the relatively rare Correspondence Between the Treasury, the Admiralty, and the Astronomer Royal, Respecting the Arrangements to be Made for Observing the Transits of Venus, Which Will Take Place in the Years 1874 and 1882 printed in the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers XLVII (1869). Image courtesy of Specula astronomica minima (©Specula astronomica minima).

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Sir G.B. Airy's 1868 map of possible ToV stations - I

In 1868 Sir Geroge Biddell Airy published a paper in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society setting forth plans he and the Hydrographer of the Navy had developed for the British ToV expeditions of 1874 and 1882. It is those plans, and this and similar maps which Richard Proctor attacked. Note the possible Canadian ToV observaing stations on the map.

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Sir George Biddell Airy

Lithographic caricature of Sir George Biddell Airy (1801-1892), seventh Astronomer Royal (1835-1881). Airy was the prime architect of the British Imperial campaign for the 1874 and 1882 ToVs. He was one of only five 19th-early 20th century astronomers to be honoured by a cartoon in Vanity Fair. Image courtesy of Specula astronomica minima (©Specula astronomica minima).

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