Product images of Airy dip circle



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Manufactured in the UK
All products are printed in the UK, using the latest digital presses and a giclée printmaking process.
We only use premium branded inks, and colours are independently verified to last between 100 and 200 years.
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We print everything to order so delivery times may vary but all unframed prints are despatched within 2-4 days via courier or recorded mail.
Delivery to the UK is £5 for an unframed print of any size.
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Airy dip circle
A dip circle measures the vertical direction (or dip) in the Earth's magnetic field in the same way that a compass measures the horizontal direction. George Biddell Airy (1801-1892), Astronomer Royal (1835-1881) championed the study of terrestrial magnetism because it improved understanding of the compass and therefore fit in with the role of the Observatory as a compiler of scientific information to aid navigation. Under Airy the Magnetic and meteorological department was established. This dip circle, designed by Airy, and made by Troughton and Simms, replaced the Robinson dip circle and was used at the Observatory until 1915 to take daily readings to find the variations in the Earth's magnetic field at Greenwich.
Troughton & Simms
- Image reference: d9241-2
- National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, RGO Collection