Torquetum or astronomical apparatus

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

This wooden apparatus, designed by Edward Hitchcock (1793-1864) when he was a young man and preceptor at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, was customized to the latitude and longitude of Deerfield. It allowed Hitchcock to predict eclipses in the area. He published this information in almanacs that he authored between 1814 and 1818. Although astronomy did not become Mr. Hitchcock’s career choice, the mental skills he perfected were of service later in his profession as an earth scientist and in his tenure as president of Amherst College.

Related Items

Details

Item typeTools & Equipment
Surveying & Navigational
CreatorHitchcock, Edward
Datebefore 1814
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicEducation, Literacy
Science, Technology
EraThe New Nation, 1784–1815
MaterialWood
Process/FormatWoodworking
Catalog #1883.27
View this item in our curatorial database →
Hitchcock, Edward. Torquetum or astronomical apparatus. before 1814. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1883-27/. Accessed on December 6, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.