French Geodesic Mission to Peru

E1033831

The French Geodesic Mission to Peru was an 18th-century scientific expedition sent by the French Academy of Sciences to measure a degree of latitude near the equator in order to determine the shape of the Earth.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf 18th-century expedition ⓘ
geodesic mission ⓘ
scientific expedition ⓘ
aimedToTest Gian Domenico Cassini’s theory of a prolate spheroid Earth ⓘ
Isaac Newton’s theory of an oblate spheroid Earth ⓘ
alsoKnownAs French Geodesic Expedition to Peru ⓘ
French Geodesic Mission to the Equator ⓘ
collaboratedWith Spanish Crown ⓘ
linked to: Spanish monarchy

Spanish naval officers ⓘ
contemporaryWith French Geodesic Mission to Lapland ⓘ
countryOfOrigin France ⓘ
endTime 1744 ⓘ
field astronomy ⓘ
cartography ⓘ
geodesy ⓘ
hasPurpose determine the shape of the Earth ⓘ
measure a degree of latitude near the equator ⓘ
test competing theories of Earth’s figure ⓘ
ledBy Charles Marie de La Condamine ⓘ
Pierre Bouguer ⓘ
location Quito region ⓘ
linked to: Pichincha Province

Viceroyalty of Peru ⓘ
present-day Ecuador ⓘ
member Antonio de Ulloa ⓘ
Jorge Juan y Santacilia ⓘ
linked to: Antonio de Ulloa

Louis Godin ⓘ
Pedro Vicente Maldonado ⓘ
notablePublication Journal du voyage fait par ordre du roi à l’équateur (by Charles Marie de La Condamine) ⓘ
La figure de la terre (by Pierre Bouguer) ⓘ
organizedBy French Academy of Sciences ⓘ
partOf 18th-century geodesic campaigns ⓘ
resultedIn astronomical observations of the southern sky ⓘ
confirmation that Earth is flattened at the poles ⓘ
ethnographic observations of Andean peoples ⓘ
important geodetic data for mapmaking ⓘ
improved estimates of Earth’s size ⓘ
more accurate value for the length of a degree of latitude at the equator ⓘ
natural history observations in South America ⓘ
significance helped resolve the debate over Earth’s figure in favor of Newtonian theory ⓘ
major milestone in international scientific cooperation ⓘ
sponsoredBy Kingdom of France ⓘ
startTime 1735 ⓘ
usedInstrument measuring rods ⓘ
pendulum clock ⓘ
quadrant ⓘ
zenith sector ⓘ
usedMethod astronomical observations ⓘ
triangulation ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Joseph de Jussieu → participantIn → French Geodesic Mission to Peru ⓘ
Antonio de Ulloa → participatedIn → French Geodesic Mission to the Equator ⓘ
linked to: French Geodesic Mission to Peru
French Geodesic Mission to Peru → alsoKnownAs → French Geodesic Expedition to Peru ⓘ
linked to: French Geodesic Mission to Peru
French Geodesic Mission to Peru → alsoKnownAs → French Geodesic Mission to the Equator ⓘ
linked to: French Geodesic Mission to Peru