Pendulums and the Mascarenes
In 1819, between the 19th and 25th of May, Louis de Freycinet, with the help of some of his officers from the corvette Uranie, used pendulums to measure gravity in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius.
Climate of suspicion
Scepticism is great, and vitally important in any science, but when science itself is under attack, anyone who claims to be a scientist needs to stand up and defend it.
Extreme gravity
Extremes are now again fashionable in many areas of life. But – extreme gravity? Is there anything to be gained by searching for those points on the Earth’s surface where gravity is highest, lowest, steepest?
Pendulum gravity on Guam
In 1819 Louis de Freycinet measured gravity on Guam using four pendulums, and in 1828 Fyodor Litke did the same thing, with just one pendulum. How well did they do?
Pulau Anso: another missed opportunity
The astronomer John Goldingham makes an appearance in ‘The Hunt for Earth Gravity’ on account of pendulum measurements he made in his observatory in Madras (modern Chennai), but he has another claim to fame. He was responsible the first gravity measurements made in Sumatra or, rather, on one of its offshore islands.
The magnetics of DC power
For magnetic surveys, power lines are a nuisance. Normal AC lines can interfere with magnetometer electronics if you get too close. But what about DC lines? Just forget about working anywhere near them.