The Principal Scientific Instruments Taken on Captain Cook’s Voyages of Exploration, 1768-80

Abstract

Cook’s voyages played a significant part in the history of science and were supported by initially the Royal Society and later by the Board of Longitude. Astronomers, naturalists and artists went on the expeditions to observe and record. Various scientific instruments were provided for all the voyages for observations in navigation, astronomy, surveying and map-making, geo-magnetism, meteorology and oceanography. This article details the numerous instruments, their specifications, their makers, how and why they were used, their relative success, and which still survive.

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Filed under: Atlantic | James Cook | Other (Eighteenth C) | Pacific
Subjects include: Science & Exploration