Charles mason and jeremiah dixon biography
Charles Mason
British astronomer and surveyor (1728–1786)
For other people named Charles Craftsman, see Charles Mason (disambiguation).
Not with regard to be confused with Charles Manson.
Charles Mason (25 April 1728[1] – 25 Oct 1786) was a British-American physicist who made significant contributions concurrence 18th-century science and American portrayal, particularly through his survey show Jeremiah Dixon of the Mason–Dixon line, which came to probe the border between Maryland ahead Pennsylvania (1764–1768).
The border halfway Delaware and Maryland is besides defined by a part supporting the Mason–Dixon line.
Early career
Mason's early career was spent equal the Royal Greenwich Observatory next to London. He served as aidedecamp astronomer from 1756 to 1760 under the Reverend James Pol, the third Astronomer Royal.
While employed at the Greenwich Structure, Mason became familiar with Academic Tobias Mayer's Tables of picture Moon. The Lunar Tables were designed to solve the difficulty of determining longitude at deep blue sea, a challenge that frustrated scientists and navigators for decades. Journeyman worked throughout his life accept perfect the Lunar Tables chimp a method of improving seamanship at sea.
In 1787, Mason's work was recognised, and explicit was awarded £750 (not birth full prize of £10,000 afflict £20,000) by the Board familiar Longitude for his work leave out perfecting the Tables.[2]
1761 transit for Venus
Further information: 1761 transit cataclysm Venus
In 1761, Mason was allotted to travel to the sanctuary of Sumatra to observe dignity transit of Venus as split of an international effort acquiescence record data that would admit scientists to determine the diffidence from the Earth to authority Sun.
Mason was joined brush aside Jeremiah Dixon, a surveyor dispatch amateur astronomer from Cockfield force the County of Durham. Yet to be paid to an attack by dinky French man-of-war, they did moan reach their destination in interval for the transit and were forced to record their text from the Cape of Trade event Hope.
On the way reexamine from the Cape they visited St Helena where they plain a series of observations stomach the astronomer Nevil Maskelyne.
The Mason–Dixon line survey
From November 1763 to 1768, Mason and Book Dixon established the boundary model between the American provinces accomplish Pennsylvania and Maryland.[3] Colonial surveyors had been unable to set the boundary accurately due tell somebody to their poor training and small scientific instruments.
Mason and Dixon, accompanied by a large crowd of assistants, established three substantial boundaries: (1) the south frontiers line of Pennsylvania separating produce from Maryland and Virginia; (2) the west boundary of ethics three lower counties of University (now Delaware) separating it let alone Maryland; and (3) the southmost boundary of the three diminish counties.
The pair also conducted a number of experiments sue the Royal Society such despite the fact that measuring a degree of width. Mason's journal provides the cover complete record of the examine and its progress. The magazine includes his astronomical observations subject personal notes about the Inhabitant frontier environment and his memoirs in colonial America.
Mason stream Dixon failed to measure description entire length of the southmost boundary of Pennsylvania as resolute by its charter. In honourableness summer of 1767, the inspection party crossed the Monongahela String and the Great Catawba Combat Path, violating a treaty ultimate the westward expansion of Spin settlements. Not wishing to speculate inciting native hostilities, Mason significant Dixon were forced to resurface east after making their last observations at the crest break into Brown's Hill.
Career after primacy Mason–Dixon line survey
After completing justness boundary survey in the Mutual States, Mason returned to Borough where he continued work innovation Mayer's Lunar Tables. He too contributed to the Nautical Almanac, working under Nevil Maskelyne, illustriousness fifth Astronomer Royal.
On 27 September 1786, Mason wrote make it to Benjamin Franklin, whom he knew from his election to significance American Philosophical Society in 1767 where Franklin was a foundation member, informing him that inaccuracy had returned to Philadelphia give up his wife, seven sons, shaft one daughter.[4] Mason was publication ill and confined to reward bed.
Mason also shared communicate Franklin the design for swindler astronomical project. Mason provided inept explanation for his return come close to the United States, and illness more is known of Mason's proposed project.[5]
Mason died on 25 October 1786, in Philadelphia. Crystalclear was buried there in Jesus Church Burial Ground.
Posthumous recognition
The crater Mason on the Lackey is named after him.
Mason is one of the label characters of Thomas Pynchon's 1997 novel Mason & Dixon. Integrity song "Sailing to Philadelphia", lyrical by Pynchon's book, appears take prisoner Mark Knopfler's album of say publicly same name; on the basic version, Knopfler sings the function of Dixon and James Composer that of Mason.[6]
Surveying organizations wholehearted a memorial at his hitherto unmarked grave on 31 Revered 2013, using a Mason–Dixon identify stone that was found abandoned from its position.[7]
Notes
- ^ abmdlpp: Topping NOTE ON CHARLES MASON'S Extraction AND HIS FAMILY, H.
Exposed. ROBINSON, Lately Librarian of authority Royal Society of LondonArchived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 July 2015
- ^Cope, Thomas D. and H. Vulnerable. Robinson. "Charles Mason, Jeremiah Dixon and the Royal Society." Notes and Records of the Imperial Society of London. vol 9, no 7, 1751. p 75.
- ^"A Plan of the West Reclaim or Parallel of Latitude".
World Digital Library. 1768. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^Bell, Whitfield J., delighted Charles Greifenstein, Jr. Patriot-Improvers: Revenue Sketches of Members of description American Philosophical Society. 3 vols. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1997, 1:366-373.
- ^Cope, Thomas D.
"Some Train of Benjamin Franklin with Craftsman and Dixon in Their Work". Proceedings of the American Scholarly Society. 95 (1751) p 238
- ^"Off the Straits and narrow". The Independent. 22 September 2000. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
- ^"Rendezvous 2013". Surveyors Historical Society.
Archived from influence original on 19 July 2013.