The methods and quality of seventeenth century timings of immersions and emersions of the Galilean satellite Io were studied. It was found that the quality of the observations was very good but that in the cases where these observations were used for longitude determinations, the results were impaired by the inaccuracy of Cassini's ephemerides that were used.

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Analysis of French Jesuit observations of Io made in China in AD 1689‒1690

In this short chapter we begin by introducing the History & Heritage Working Group of the Southeast Asian Astronomy Network and defining what we mean by ‘Southeast Asian astronomy’. We then summarize English-language publications about Southeast Asian history of astronomy that we are aware of that have appeared since 2010, and we use bullet points to highlight the different types of research projects that we feel can most effectively be undertaken for the various countries belonging to the Southeast Asian Astronomy Network (SEAAN). We then ask how to trigger history of astronomy research in those SEAAN nations that currently are inactive. For those who already are involved in or planning such research, we discuss the role that Working Groups and Project Groups of the International Astronomical Union can play in helping facilitate and foster such research, and review various conference, publication and workshop options. We then discuss graduate studies in Southeast Asian history of astronomy, identify candidates we think worthy of entry into a hypothetical ‘Southeast Asian History of Astronomy Hall of Fame’, and end by discussing the structure of this book and the possibility of a follow-up volume.

Exploring the History of Southeast Asian Astronomy: A Checklist of Recent Research Projects and Future Prospects and Possibilities

Throughout Southeast Asia, over the centuries the original traditional local astronomical knowledge has been subjected to varying degrees of Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Western influences. In this chapter we will overview the astronomical traditions in Mainland Southeast Asia and island Southeast Asia, and identify their foreign elements. Vietnamese astronomy was largely influenced by Chinese astronomy. Other areas of Mainland Southeast Asia were influenced by Chinese and Indian astronomy, and the Indian influence was sometimes substantial. Island Southeast Asia was influenced mainly by Indian astronomy and Islamic astronomy. As Southeast Asian astronomy has its special features, it is necessary to compare it carefully with foreign astronomy, and we shall see that there are various examples of what we refer to as ‘multiplex astronomy’.

The Evolution of Local Southeast Asian Astronomy and the Influence of China, India, the Islamic World and the West

‘Modern astronomy’ was introduced to Siam (present-day Thailand) (Siam officially changed its name to Thailand in 1939) when the Belgian Jesuit missionary-astronomer Father Antoine Thomas carried out stellar and lunar eclipse observations during 1681 and 1682 in order to determine the latitude and longitude of Ayutthaya. Three years later a contingent of French Jesuit missionary astronomers observed a total lunar eclipse from Lop Buri, which marked the start of an intensive two-and-a-half year period of observational activity at Lop Buri under the sponsorship of King Narai. During this interval, a partial solar eclipse and two further lunar eclipses were observed from a number of different observing sites. Although a substantial astronomical observatory was constructed in Lop Buri and this was used by French Jesuit missionary-astronomers, ‘modern astronomy’ ended suddenly in 1688 when King Narai died and most Western missionary-astronomers were expelled from Siam. ‘Modern astronomy’ only re-emerged in Siam after a hiatus of almost 200 years when another royal supporter of astronomy, King Rama IV, invited French astronomers to observe the total solar eclipse of 18 August 1868 from Siam, and his son, King Rama V, hosted British astronomers during the 6 April 1875 total solar eclipse. Thailand’s romance with total solar eclipses continued during the 9 May 1929 solar eclipse when King Rama VII visited British and German astronomers based near Siam’s southern border, and this was the catalyst required for the birth of home-grown ‘modern astronomy’. Soon after, Siam’s first astronomy classes began at Chulalongkorn University, and in 1944 this university hosted Siam’s first professional astronomer when Rawee Bhavilai, a solar specialist, joined the Physics Department. The latest phase in the professionalisation of astronomy occurred in 2009 when the Government approval the formation of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT). In this paper we trace the critical roles that solar and lunar eclipses played in the emergence and final adoption of ‘modern astronomy’ in Thailand from 1682 through to the present day. (Less)

The role of eclipses and european observers in the development of ‘modern astronomy’ in Thailand

Astronomy was introduced to Siam (present-day Thailand) over 300 years ago during the reign of King Narai, the Great. The first astronomical observatory was built in Loburi province by French missionary-astronomers and various astronomical instruments were brought to Siam at that time. After King Narai died, astronomy was neglected for over 180 years until the reign of King Rama IV when astronomy became more popular. Members of the Royal Family, King Rama IV in particular, were very interested in astronomy and hence became patrons of modern astronomy in Siam. King Rama IV himself made a precise calculation of the time and location of a total solar eclipse which could be observed from Siam on 18 August 1868. However, modern astronomy in Siam did not evolve rapidly at this time, due in part to the slow development of the educational system.

The Development of Astronomy and Emergence of Astrophysics in Thailand

The first great ruler to encourage the adoption of Western culture and technology throughout Siam (present-day Thailand) was King Narai, who also had a passion for astronomy. He showed this by encouraging French and other Jesuit missionaries, some with astronomical interests and training, to settle in Siam from the early 1660s. One of these was Father Antoine Thomas, and he was the first European known to have carried out scientific astronomical observations from Siam when he determined the latitude of Ayutthaya in 1681 and the following year observed the total lunar eclipse of 22 February. A later lunar eclipse also has an important place in the history of Thai astronomy. In 1685 a delegation of French missionary-astronomers settled in Ayutthaya, and on 10–11 December 1685 they joined King Narai and his court astrologers and observed a lunar eclipse from the King‘s ̳country retreat‘ near Lop Buri. This event so impressed the King that he approved the erection of a large modern well-equipped astronomical observatory at Lop Buri. Construction of Wat San Paulo Observatory—as it was known—began in 1686 and was completed in 1687. In this paper we examine these two lunar eclipses and their association with the development of scientific astronomy in Siam.

Exploring the first scientific observations of lunar eclipses made in Siam

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Cassini's 1679 map of the Moon and French Jesuit observations of the lunar eclipse of 11 December 1685

In the 1960s, Grote Reber (1911‒ 2002) established and used an antenna array near Bothwell in Tasmania. Working independently, he produced a radio map of the southern sky at a frequency of 2.085 MHz (a wavelength of 144 metres). Encouraged by this success, he modified the array in the 1970s to work at ~1.155 MHz, but this second endeavour failed to produce any usable results.

The history of early low frequency radio astronomy in Australia. 8: Grote Reber and the 'Square Kilometre Array' near Bothwell, Tasmania, in the 1960s and 1970s

The history of low frequency radio astronomy in Australia. 7: Philip Hamilton, Raymond Haynes and the University of Tasmania's Penna Field Station near Hobart

Martin George

Papers

Exploring the first scientific observations of lunar eclipses made in Siam

Cassini's 1679 map of the Moon and French Jesuit observations of the lunar eclipse of 11 December 1685

The role of eclipses and european observers in the development of ‘modern astronomy’ in Thailand

The history of early low frequency radio astronomy in Australia. 8: Grote Reber and the 'Square Kilometre Array' near Bothwell, Tasmania, in the 1960s and 1970s

The history of low frequency radio astronomy in Australia. 7: Philip Hamilton, Raymond Haynes and the University of Tasmania's Penna Field Station near Hobart