The Transit of Venus of 1874: an astronomical regulator clock used at Station A.

The Transit of Venus of 1874: an astronomical regulator clock used at Station A. © National Maritime Museum, London

Repro ID: F1084

Description: Twelve new clocks were ordered by the Royal Observatory Greenwich for the Transit of Venus expeditions of 1874. This astronomical regulator clock, Dent No. 2009, is a weight-driven, sidereal, wood pendulum, 8-day regulator with deadbeat escapement with jewelled pallets. For the 1874 expedition it was sent to Cairo in Egypt (Station A). It may also have been used in the 1882 Transit of Venus expeditions. In 1894 it was returned to the Royal Observatory Greenwich and set up in the South East Equatorial dome. It was moved to the Astrographic dome also at Greenwich in 1929 and then to Abinger in 1940 as the controlled clock for the transmission of the time signals.

Creator: E. Dent & Company

Date: c.1874

Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London