Beschreibung:

Title: Fundamenta astronomiae pro anno MDCCLV deducta ex observationibus viri incomparabilis James Bradley in specula astronomica Grenovicensi per annos 1750-1762 institutis Author: Bessel, Friedrich Wilhelm Place: Regiomonti [i.e. Königsberg] Publisher: In commissis apud Frid. Nicolovium Date: 1818 Description: [12], 325, [1] pp. (Folio) 34.5x20 cm (13¾x7¾"), modern half morocco & marbled boards, spine ruled & lettered in gilt, new endpapers. First Edition. First edition of what was likely Bessel's greatest achievement, cataloguing the mean position of 3222 stars, obtained by correcting for atmospheric refraction, precession, observation, nutation, and instrumental error, of about 60,000 observations made on those stars between 1750 and 1762 by James Bradley Astronomer Royal of England. This is the Haskell Norman copy, with his bookplate, and Norman himself noted that "Bessel's reduction of the English astronomer James Bradley's star position observations for the year 1755 marks the beginning of modern astrometry." DSB observes that "This work also gives the proper motions of the stars, as derived from the observations of Bradley, of Piazzi, and of Bessel himself. It constitutes a milestone in the history of astronomical observations, for until then positions of the stars could not be given with comparable accuracy: through Bessel's work, Bradley's observations were made to mark the beginning of modern astronomy. This copy with ownership signature of Luigi Gabba on the title page. Lot Amendments Condition: Some foxing and browning to contents; a very good, untrimmed copy. Item number: 286249