1663 in science

The year 1663 in science and technology involved some significant events.

Astronomy

• Scottish mathematician James Gregory publishes Optica Promota, describing theoretically the Gregorian telescope.

Exploration

• March 4 – The Prince Edward Islands in the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean are discovered by Barent Barentszoon Lam of the Dutch ship Maerseveen and named Dina (Prince Edward) and Maerseveen (Marion).^[1]

Mathematics

• The first book about games of chance, Girolamo Cardano's Liber de ludo aleae ("On Casting the Die"), written in the 1560s, is published.^[2]

Meteorology

• October 7 – Robert Hooke presents his "Method for making a history of the weather" to the Royal Society of London.^[3]

Technology

• The earliest known surviving clock with an anchor escapement is made by William Clement in England.^[4][5][6][7]

Publications

• Robert Boyle publishes Considerations touching the Usefulness of Experimental Natural Philosophy (first part).

Births

• August 31 – Guillaume Amontons, French scientific instrument inventor and physicist (died 1705)

Deaths

• December 28 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian physicist (born 1618)