| Title |
Armillary spheres: the invention of the equatorial mounting |
| Reference |
SCC2/72/2 |
| Covering Dates |
3 Sep. 1948–21 Nov. 1989 |
| Extent and Medium |
Paper |
|
| Content and context |
The file has documents relating to the torquetum and Tycho Brahe |
| Needham/NRI2/SCC2/72/2 contains: |
|
1
|
Correspondence with Willy Hartner of Bad Homburg, Germany, about the astronomical instruments of Jamal al-Din and armillary spheres in general. The documents comprise a letter from Hartner to Arthur Beer of The Observatories, Cambridge University, 3 September 1950; letter from Hartner to Needham, 6 December 1950; copies of Needham's replies to both letters, 7 January 1951.
Creator: Hartner, Willy; Needham, Joseph.
5 sheets; Paper. |
3 Sep. 1950 |
|
2
|
Galley proofs of an article by Willy Hartner entitled, 'The Astronomical Instruments of Cha-ma-lu-ting, their identification, and their Relations of the Instruments of the Observatory of Margha', ('Isis', 1950). The documents also include Joseph Needham's notes from the article.
8 sheets; Paper. |
1950 |
|
3
|
Joseph Needham's notes on the torquetum from R. Wolf's, 'Handbuch d. Astronomie, ihrer Geschichte und Litteratur', (Zurich, 1890).
2 sheets; Paper. |
1950–1959 |
|
4
|
Correspondence with Martin Johnson of The University, Birmingham, about his work on early instruments and related documents. The related documents comprise a letter from Dorothea Singer of Par, Cornwall, referring to Johnson's work; related Joseph Needham notes. The letters make particular reference to the instruments of the Maragha Observatory and those made by Kuo Shou-Ching at the end of the 13th century.
Creator: Johnson, Martin; Needham, Joseph; Singer, Dorothea.
13 sheets; Paper. |
3 Sep. 1948–6 Aug. 1949 |
|
5
|
Joseph Needham's notes on the work of Tycho Brahe, (1549-1601). These include notes from J. L. E. Dreyer, 'Tycho Brahe, A Picture of Scientific Life & Work in the 16th Century', (Edinburgh, 1890).
7 sheets; Paper. |
1950–1959 |
|
6
|
Chinese postage stamp showing an armillary sphere.
1 document; Paper. |
1950–1959 |
|
7
|
Correspondence with members of the Legation of the People's Republic of China to Switzerland about the date of an armillary sphere at the Purple Mountain Observatory, Nanking, and related documents. Correspondents at the Legation are Shen I [Shen Yi] and Feng Hsuan [Feng Xuan]. Related documents include notes by Joseph Needham; cutting of a newspaper photograph of the sphere; typed explanation prepared by Academia Sinica about the history of the sphere in question.
Creator: Shen I; Feng Hsuan; Needham, Joseph.
6 sheets; Paper. |
11 Jan. 1952–25 Apr. 1952 |
|
8
|
Copy of a letter from Joseph Needham to S Schoken of Jerusalem, Israel, expressing thanks for a visit to the Schoken Library in Israel and describing the highlights of his visit. The letter was written whilst Needham was in Israel attending the Seventh International Congress of the History of Science.
3 sheets; Paper. |
7 Aug. 1953 |
|
9
|
Documents relating to the transcription of writing on Jamal al-Din instruments. The documents include part of a letter from Willy Hartner of Bad Homburg, Germany about his transcriptions of Jamal al-Din instruments; 'Memorandum by Mr D M Dunlop (Cambridge) for Dr W Hartner and Dr J Needham on the indentification of certain Chinese transliterations of Arabic/Persian technical terms in the 13th century'.
Creator: Hartner, Willy; Dunlop, D. M.
5 sheets; Paper. |
19 Mar. 1954-Apr. 1954 |
|
10
|
Three pages of illustrations for a 'Kuo Shou-Ching [??? / Guo Shoujing] sub-section' of a 'Stratton Festschrift', including draft captions and other preparatory work. The festschrift was 'Vistas in Astronomy' edited by Arthur Beer. (See SCC2/74).
9 sheets; Paper. |
1950–1959 |
|
11
|
Copy of a review of H. C. King's, 'The History of the Telescope', (London, 1955) published in 'Journal of the British Astronomical Association'.
2 sheets; Paper. |
1956 |
|
12
|
Letter from Dina Dobson Hinton of Bristol, providing a reference for the 'astro-compass' and related notes by Joseph Needham. The notes are headed 'astro-compass', 'descendant of torquetum'.
Creator: Hinton, Dina Dobson; Needham, Joseph.
2 sheets; Paper. |
30 Sep. 1955 |
|
13
|
Joseph Needham's list of works by Kuo Shou-Ching [??? / Guo Shoujing].
2 sheets; Paper. |
1950–1959 |
|
14
|
Photographs of 'armillary spheres' and other instruments, mostly those produced 'Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3'.
18 sheets; Photograph and paper. |
1950–1959 |
|
15
|
Correspondence with Reverend R. Wooley, The Astronomer Royal and Dr. Bart J. Bok, Astronomer Royal of Australia about obtaining a photograph of the 74-inch reflector of the Commonwealth Observatory at Mount Stromlo, Canberra, Australia. The documents also include an account of the reflector published in 'Nature', 25 February 1956; photograph of the instrument.
Creator: Wooley, R.; Bok, Bart J.; Needham, Joseph.
7 sheets; Paper. |
3 Jan. 1957–30 Apr. 1957 |
|
16
|
Postcard from the Wallschové of Prague, Czechoslovakia, showing the tomb of Tycho Brahe, (1549-1601).
Creator: Wallschové.
1 document; Paper. |
19 Dec. 1958 |
|
17
|
Part of a letter from DP [Derek Price] in Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A, describing photographs of astronomical instruments. Instruments described include an 'Egyptian outflow clepsydra'; horizontal dial with polar gnomon; 'pointers and scales'.
Creator: Price, Derek.
2 sheets; Paper. |
19 Jan. 1959 |
|
18
|
Letters from the British Broadcasting Corporation and Clarendon Press, Oxford, about the use of photographs from Joseph Needham's 'The Legacy of China' for use in an educational pamphlet on China. The documents also include copies of some of the photographs required; cutting of an anonymous newspaper article entitled 'Biggest optical telescope on the move'.
9 sheets; Paper. |
29 Aug. 1968–22 Oct. 1968 |
|
19
|
Photographs of Kuo Shou-Ching [??? / Guo Shoujing] instruments at the Purple Mountain Observatory, Nanking, China. These photographs were taken on Joseph Needham's tour in 1958.
27 pieces; Photograph and paper. |
1958 |
|
20
|
Cutting of a 'China Daily' article entitled 'Science on show at museum' about the opening of the China Science and Technology Museum, Beijing. The article is accompanied by a photograph of a reproduction of a photograph of the celestial globe invented by Zhang Heng in 132 AD.
1 document; Paper. |
23 Sep. 1988 |
|
21
|
Copy of a letter from John Combridge to Dr. Allan Mills of the 'Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society' about astronomical instruments made by Ferdinand Verbiest in 1670-73 and located at the Beijing Old Observatory.
Creator: Combridge, John.
3 sheets; Paper. |
21 Nov. 1989 |
|
22
|
Dust jacket for Volume 6 of 'Vistas in Astronomy' edited by Arthur Beer. The illustration on the jacket shows a 'Torquetum' of 1558, held at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg, Germany.
1 document; Paper. |
1963 |
|
23
|
Related bibliographical references and notes.
28 sheets; Paper. |
1950–1969 |
|
24
|
Joseph Needham's original file cover. On the cover Needham has made notes on the transliterated names of the Jamal al-Din instruments.
1 document; Paper. |
1950–1959 |
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