Cook’s third voyage to the Pacific and early scientific astronomy on the north-western coast of America: the sojourn at Nootka Sound in April 1778

Article


Orchiston, Wayne and Wells, William. 2020. "Cook’s third voyage to the Pacific and early scientific astronomy on the north-western coast of America: the sojourn at Nootka Sound in April 1778." Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. 23 (1), pp. 174-208.
Article Title

Cook’s third voyage to the Pacific and early scientific astronomy on the north-western coast of America: the sojourn at Nootka Sound in April 1778

ERA Journal ID30599
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsOrchiston, Wayne (Author) and Wells, William (Author)
Journal TitleJournal of Astronomical History and Heritage
Journal Citation23 (1), pp. 174-208
Number of Pages35
Year2020
Place of PublicationThailand
ISSN1440-2807
Web Address (URL)https://www.rtu.edu.ph/card/volume-23/
Abstract

Between 1768 and 1778 England’s premier maritime explorer, James Cook, made three much-published and very successful expeditions to the Pacific. Astronomy played a vital role in navigation and coastal cartography, and consequently there were astronomers on all three Pacific expeditions. On the final voyage Cook would lose his life in Hawaii, but not before exploring the north-western coast of the American continent and visiting Nootka Sound on the western shores of Vancouver Island.

In this paper we review the challenge of accurately determining latitude and longitude in the eighteenth century; provide biographical information about the three astronomers on Cook’s Third Voyage (Cook, King and Bayly); examine the range of astronomical instruments used during the Voyage, and the associated instrument-makers; describe the various types of astronomical observations made for latitude and longitude determinations; and review the observations that were made at Nootka Sound during the 3-week stopover of the Resolution and Discovery in April 1778.

KeywordsCook’s Third Voyage, James Cook, James King, William Bayly, scientific instruments, North America, Nootka Sound, latitude, longitude, astronomical observations
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020510199. Astronomical sciences not elsewhere classified
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Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
Byline AffiliationsCentre for Astrophysics
No affiliation
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