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The year 1639 in science and technology involved some significant events.

thumb|left|Jeremah Horrock's observation of Venus transit across the Sun in 1639. From his work Venus in sole visa, printed 1662

Astronomy

  • Giovanni Battista Zupi observes that the planet Mercury has orbital phases.
  • December 4 (November 24 in Julian calendar) – English astronomers Jeremiah Horrocks and William Crabtree are the first and only scientific observers of a transit of Venus, predicted by Horrocks.

Exploration

  • The Casiquiare canal, a river forming a natural canal between the Amazon River and Orinoco River basins, is first encountered by Europeans

Mathematics

  • Girard Desargues introduces the concept of infinity into geometry.

Births

  • April 12 – Martin Lister, English naturalist and physician (died 1712)
  • December 18 – Gottfried Kirch, German astronomer (died 1710)
  • approx. date – Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, French explorer (died 1710)

Deaths

  • June 6 – Peter Crüger, German polymath (born 1580)
  • August 7 – Martin van den Hove, Dutch astronomer (born 1605)
  • Mutio Oddi, Italian mathematician (born 1569)

References