Maximilianus Hell (1720-1792) - Munin

and instructed us concerning this astronomical phenomenon”. 148 No record of Saxtorph‟s
observation – evidently quite successful – is to be found in the official reports of Danish-
Norwegian Venus transit observations. Another observation on Danish soil was made by an
anonymous observer using a 6½-inch telescope “a few miles north of Copenhagen”. An
account of this observation was published in Kiøbenhavns Adresse-Contoirs Efterretninger on
5 June 1769, 149 but the observer lacked a proper clock for the time-keeping and could only say
that the exterior contact at ingress took place approximately 8 o‟clock in the evening, whereas
the interior contact was spoiled by clouds. In the Danish almanac, this contact had been
predicted to take place at 7.32 pm, a gross miscalculation on the part of the Astronomer
Royal, which the anonymous reporter did not fail to point out. 150
Another curious piece of information is found in a letter from Nils Schenmark (1720-1788),
Professor of mathematics at the University of Lund, to Wargentin. Schenmark had written to
his correspondent “Professor Lous” 151 (yet again not Horrebow!) in Copenhagen to hear news
of observations from Danish and Norwegian soil. Professor Lous reported the following from
Copenhagen: 152
In Copenhagen, three companies had gathered: at Rundetårn; at another, private
observatory; and at Fredriksberg [...]. All three were within sight of each other
and could give each other signals in order to observe the difference of their
clocks. The first [exterior] contact was recorded at the private observatory at
8:01:35 [pm] o‟clock with a two-foot Gregory-type reflection telescope that
showed the objects roughly 120 times larger, as well as a nine-foot Dollond that
148 Andreas Christian Hwiid, Udtog af en Dagbog holden i Aarene 1777-1780 paa en Reise igennem Tyskland,
Italien, Frankrige og Holland, Copenhagen 1787, entry on 10 July 1777, quoted from Hviid 2005, p. 56:
“Veneris Gang giennem Solen troer jeg aldrig at være bleven observeret bedre af nogen Student ved
Universitetet, end han sørgede for, at vi i den øverste Classe i hans Have med hans egen Teleskop observerede
den, efter at han i Forveien tydeligen havde bibragt os et klart Begreb derom”.
149 Kiøbenhavns Kongelig alleene privilegerede Adresse-Contoirs med Posten forsendende Efterretninger, 1769.,
11. Aargang, No. 83, Mandagen den 5te Junii, “Veneris synlige Gang forbi Solens Skive, saaledes som den saaes
Aftenen den 3 Junii fra Klokken 8 til 8 ½, faa Miile Norden for Kiøbenhavn”.
150 Kiøbenhavns Kongelig alleene privilegerede Adresse-Contoirs med Posten forsendende Efterretninger, 1769.,
11. Aargang, No. 106, Fredagen den 14 Julii, “Svar paa en Skrivelse i No. 103 i Anledning af Veneris Gang
forbi Soelens Skive, for saavidt angaaer Forfatteren af Observationen No. 83”. The almanac in question was
surely Dansk Historisk Almanak, udgiven af Det Kongelige Videnskabernes Societet, 23 volumes, Copenhagen
1760-1782; cf. Lomholt vol. III, 1960, pp. 119-129, especially p. 127.
151 Probably Christian Carl Lous (1724-1804), a Professor of mathematics in the Danish marine since 1760,
inventor of improved compasses and other instruments and author of several textbooks on navigation.
152 Schenmark to Wargentin, dated Lund 31 August 1769 (CVH Stockholm): “J Köpenhamn hafva trenne
Sälskaper förenat sig: På runde torn, på et annat privat observatorio, och på Fridrichsberg (et Kongl. Lustslott
som är belägit på en högd rätt i vester, ungefär ½ mil ifrån Köpenhamn); alla desse tre Kunde se til hvarandra,
och göra hvarandra signal för at observera Urens skilnad. På det private Observatorio befants primus contactus
Kl. 8. 1′. 35″ med en 2 fots Gregoriansk Reflexions tub som viste objecterna vid pass 120 gånger större, och en
Dollondsk 9 fots tub som förgrossade 150 gr. På de tvänne andra ställen skola de hafva observeradt primus
contactus några Secunder senare.”
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