The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700

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Christiaan Huygens (14 Apr 1629 - 8 Jul 1695)

Dutch mathematician, astronomer, physicist, and horologist who did pioneering work using the telescopic for scientific observation. In 1691 he presented to the Society "the celebrated object-glass of 122 feet focal length, made by Huygens, for an 'aerial telescope.' Hooke was entrusted with this glass, with the view of constructing an apparatus for its use, and in the mean time, Halley was ordered to 'view the scaffolding of St. Paul's Church, to see
if that might not conveniently serve for the present, to erect the object-glass thereon, for viewing such of the celestial objects as now present themselves'" (Weld I.330). "Two other object-glasses of Huygens' were afterwards presented to the Society, (one of 170 feet focal length), by Sir Isaac Newton, and the other (of 210 feet, with two eye-glasses, by Scarlet),
by the Rev. Gilbert Burnet, F.R.S. in 1724" (Weld I.330 n.4). Other biography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Huygens Authority - early modern
 Relevant locations: Birth place in The Hague, South Holland
Residence at London, England
 Relationships: Christiaan Huygens was a son of Constantijn Huygens (4 Sep 1596- 28 Mar 1687)
Christiaan Huygens was a donor to Royal Society (-)
Christiaan Huygens was a member of Royal Society (-)

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was a associate or acquaintance (general) of Christiaan Huygens
Linked print sources: as Author (in assoc. with a ms or print source) - Extracts of three letters: The one of M. Hugens, about a new invention of very exact and portative watches, serving to find the longitudes both at sea and Land: The second, of Dr . Swammerdam, touching an un-usual rupture of the the mercentery: The third, containing some observations of Mr. Lister about the star-stones; together with Mr Rays annotations thereon.
as Mentions or references - A History of the Royal Society, With Memoirs of the Presidents. Compiled from Authentic Documents.
 References in Documents:
Grew, Musaeum Regalis (1685)

TOTo Astronomy. A REFLECTING TELESCOPE. Contrived by Mr. Isaac Newton, Professor of the Mathematicks at Cambridge. Whereby not only the cumber and charge of other Telescopes is avoided; one of these less than a foot long, magnifying as much as another of six feet: but the Object likewise, both by a more regular Refraction, and a less expence of Rays, is much more clearly represented.

It consists of a Tube open towards the Object, and close at the other end. Where is placed a Metalline Concave, instead of an Object-Glass. Near the other end, a flat Speculum, also of Metal; placed obliquely towards a small Eye-Glass; sc. upon that point of the Tubes Axis, on which the perpendicular falls from the said Eye-Glass. So that the Rays coming from the Object, first fall upon the Concave; are thence reflected to the flat Speculum, thence to the Eye- Glass, and through that deliver'd to the Observers Eye. The Authors Description hereof at large; together with a Discourse of the Materials which are or may be thought fittest for the Speculums; a Table of Apertures and Charges for several lengths; As also Mr. Hugen's de Zulichem's Remarques on the same; see in the Phil. Transactions. (a) (a) Num. 81, 82.