Eclipse Week – The Jesuits and Astronomy

There will inevitably be much talk of solar eclipses this week – personally I’ll be on a roof top in Taiwan to watch it (if I get up early enough – 8am is a bit of a push for me!). Fishing around for information I came across this interesting paper from physicist Virendra Nath Sharpa on the history of the Jesuit astronomers of the eighteenth century in India and China. The Jesuits were of course a very intelligent bunch of scientists at the time (despite being religious believers and refusing to incorporate the Copernican revolution into their thinking – the man himself pictured left). An interesting piece including an account of a predicted eclipse that never happened and was a bit embarrassing for all concerned. Hopefully that won’t be repeated on Wednesday morning.