The Scientific Papers of William Parsons, Third Earl of Rosse 1800–1867

This collection of scientific papers by William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse, a distinguished astronomer, was published in 1926.

William Parsons (Author), Charles Parsons (Edited by)

9781108038072, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 November 2011

260 pages, 18 b/w illus.
29.7 x 21 x 1.4 cm, 0.63 kg

William Parsons (1800–67), third Earl of Rosse, was responsible for building in 1845 the largest telescope of his time, nicknamed the 'Leviathan'. It enabled the Earl to make unprecedented astronomical discoveries, including the discovery of the spiral nature of galaxies. Rosse (then Lord Oxmantown) began publishing scientific papers on telescopes in 1828, and for the rest of his life made regular contributions to scientific journals in Ireland, England and Scotland. He served as President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1843, and of the Royal Society from 1848 to 1854, and his addresses to those societies are also included in this collection. Edited by his younger son, the engineer Sir Charles Parsons (1854–1931) and published in 1926, these papers show the wide range of the Earl's interests, from astronomy and telescopes to ancient bronze artefacts and the use of iron in shipbuilding.

From the Edinburgh Journal of Science: 1. 1828. Account of a new reflecting telescope
2. 1828. Account of an apparatus for grinding and polishing the specula of reflecting telescopes
3. 1830. Account of a series of experiments on the construction of large reflecting telescopes
From the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: 4. 1840. Account of the three-feet telescope T. R. Robinson
5. 1845. On Lord Rosse's telescope T. R. Robinson
6. 1848. On Lord Rosse's telescope T. R. Robinson
7. 1848. Observation of the nebula, Herschel 44 T. R. Robinson
8. 1848. Contents of an ancient bronze vessel, in the collection of the Earl of Rosse T. R. Robinson
From Reports of the British Association for the Advancement of Science: 9. 1843. Presidential address by the Earl of Rosse
10. 1844. On the construction of large reflecting telescopes
11. 1851. Plain specula of silver
12. 1852. Drawings to illustrate recent observations on nebulae
13. 1853. First report of the committee … on the physical characteristics of the Moon's surface
14. 1857. Mechanical science
15. 1859. Mathematics and physics
From Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: 16. 1854. Notes on experiments relative to lunar photography and the construction of reflecting specula
17. 1866. Description of an equatoreal clock
The Royal Society: 18. 1854. Address of the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Rosse
From the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: 19. 1840. An account of experiments on the reflecting telescope
20. 1844. Observations on some of the nebulae
21. 1850. Observations on the nebulae
22. 1861. On the construction of specula of six-feet aperture, and a selection from the observations of nebulae made with them
23. 1867. An account of the observations on the great nebula in Orion, made at Birr Castle, with the 3-feet and 6-feet telescopes, between 1848 and 1867
Institution of Naval Architects: 24. 1854–65. A contribution to the history of ironclads.

Subject Areas: Solar system: the Sun & planets [PGS]