Charles Mason (April 1728–October 25, 1786) was an English astronomer who made significant contributions to 18th-century science and American history, particularly through his involvement with the survey of the Mason-Dixon Line in America (1764-1768). Year 1728 ( MDCCXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 1786 ( MDCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Historically Astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky while Astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena
Contents |
Early Career
Mason's early career was spent at the Royal Greenwich Observatory near London. The Royal Observatory Greenwich (formerly the Royal Greenwich Observatory or RGO) was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, with the London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. He served as assistant astronomer from 1756 to 1760 under the Reverend James Bradley, Astronomer Royal.
While employed at the Greenwich Observatory, Mason became familiar with Professor Tobias Mayer’s Tables of the Moon. Tobias Mayer ( 17 February 1723 &ndash 20 February 1762) was a German Astronomer famous for his studies of the Moon The Lunar Tables were designed to solve the problem of determining longitude at sea, a challenge that frustrated scientists and navigators for decades. The history of longitude is a record of the effort by navigators and scientists over several centuries to discover a means of determining Longitude. Mason worked throughout his life to perfect the Lunar Tables as a method of improving navigation at sea. In 1787, Mason was awarded £750 by the Board of Longitude for his work on perfecting the Tables [1]. The Board of Longitude was the popular name for the Commissioners for the Discovery of the Longitude at Sea.
1760 Transit of Venus
In 1760, Mason was assigned to travel to the island of Sumatra to observe the Transit of Venus as part of an international effort to record data that would enable scientists to determine the distance from the earth to the sun. A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the Planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, obscuring a small portion of the Mason was joined by Jeremiah Dixon, a surveyor and amateur astronomer from Cockfield in the County of Durham. Jeremiah Dixon ( Cockfield County Durham July 27 1733 &ndash Cockfield County Durham January 22 1779) was an English Owing to an attack by a French man-of-war, they did not reach their destination in time for the transit and were forced to record their observations from the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape of Good Hope ( Afrikaans: Kaap die Goeie Hoop, Kaap de Goede Hoop Cabo da Boa Esperança Persian Language: دماغه امید نیک
The Mason-Dixon Line Survey
From November 1764 to 1768, Mason and Dixon established the boundary line between the American provinces of Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Colonial surveyors had been unable to accurately establish the boundary due to their poor training and inadequate scientific instruments. Mason and Dixon, accompanied by a large party of assistants, established three important boundaries: (1) the south boundary line of Pennsylvania separating it from Maryland and Virginia; (2) the west boundary of the three lower counties of Pennsylvania (now Delaware) separating it from Maryland; and (3) the south boundary of the three lower counties. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The pair also conducted a number of experiments for the Royal Society such as measuring a degree of longitude. Mason’s journal provides the most complete record of the survey and its progress. The journal includes his astronomical observations and personal notes about the American frontier environment and his experiences in colonial America.
Mason and Dixon failed to measure the entire length of the south boundary of Pennsylvania as determined by its charter. In the summer of 1767, the surveying party crossed the Monongahela River and the Great Catawba War Path, violating a treaty limiting the westward expansion of English settlements. The Monongahela River (məˌnɒŋɡəˈheɪlə also known locally as the Mon /ˈmɒn/ is a River on the Allegheny Plateau in North-Central The Great Indian Warpath (GIW — also known as the Great Indian War and Trading Path, or the Seneca Trail — was that part of the network of trails in eastern Not wishing to risk inciting native hostilities, Mason and Dixon were forced to return east after making their final observations at the crest of Brown's Hill.
Career After the Mason-Dixon Line Survey
After completing the boundary survey in America, Mason returned to Greenwich where he continued work on Mayer's Lunar Tables. He also contributed to the Nautical Almanac, working under Nevil Maskelyne, Astronomer Royal. Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office ( HMNAO) now part of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, was established in 1832 on the site of the Royal Greenwich The Reverend Dr Nevil Maskelyne ( 6 October[[ 732]] &ndash 9 February[[ 811]] was the fifth English Astronomer Royal.
On September 27, 1786, Mason wrote to Benjamin Franklin that he had returned to Philadelphia with his wife, seven sons, and one daughter. Benjamin Franklin ( April 17 1790 was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. Mason was very ill and confined to his bed. Mason also shared with Franklin the design for an astronomical project. Mason provided no explanation for his return to America, and nothing more is known of Mason's proposed project. [2]
Mason died on October 26, 1786, in Philadelphia.
Posthumous Recognition
Mason crater on the Moon is named after him. Mason is the remains of a lunar crater that lies in the northeastern part of the Moon.
Mason is one of the titular characters of Thomas Pynchon's 1997 novel Mason & Dixon. Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr (born May 8 1937 is an American writer based in New York City, noted for his dense and complex works of Fiction. Mason & Dixon, an epic postmodernist novel by Thomas Pynchon first published in 1997 centers on the collaboration of the historical Charles Mason
The song Sailing to Philadelphia from Mark Knopfler's album of the same name, also has strong references to Mason and Dixon, and was inspired by Pynchon's book. Sailing to Philadelphia is an Album by Mark Knopfler released in 2000 Mark Knopfler OBE (born August 12 1949 Glasgow, Scotland) is a British Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter,
References
- ^ Cope, Thomas D. and H. W. Robinson. "Charles Mason, Jeremiah Dixon and the Royal Society. " Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London. vol 9, no 7, 1951. p 75.
- ^ Cope, Thomas D. "Some Contacts of Benjamin Franklin with Mason and Dixon in Their Work. " Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 95 (1951) p 238
External links
- Thomas Pynchon's Mason & Dixon (novel)
- Mason and Dixon Line Preservation Partnership - Information about Charles Mason and the Mason and Dixon Line
- Mason's biography from the American National Biography
- Account of Mason's Observations of the Transit of Venus in 1769 - PDF
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic