Adams' equatorial theodolite joins the Museum collection
On 22nd March 2012 the collection of the JU Museum Collegium Maius has been enriched with the Adams equatorial theodolite, an 18th century astronomical instrument. The purchase was financed by the PZU Foundation. The instrument was handed over during the ceremony with participation of University rector, Prof. Karol Musioł, Museum director Prof. Krzysztof Stopka, and Michał Witkowski, the PZU press secretary.
Collegium Maius has become one of the few institutions in the world to include the instrument in their collections. The equatorial theodolite was made in the renowned workshop in London, owned by George Adams, who delivered scientific instruments to King George III. Purchased in an antique shop in Edinburgh, it is one of the three 18th century instruments of this type signed "Adams" remaining up to this day. The other two theodolites are kept in Museo Della Specola in Bologna, and in the collection of scientific instruments owned by the Harvard University in Boston.
The Adams equatorial theodolite is a universal astronomical instrument used for observations and angular measurement. Among its applications were positioning of celestial bodies, measurement of angular distances between them, measurement of time and land surveying.
The Jagiellonian University Museum is in possession of an exquisite art collection, but what makes the institution unique are ca. 2500 historical scientific instruments, one of the most significant collections in Europe. The equatorial theodolite is another priceless exhibit in Collegium Maius, together with the late 15th century astronomical instruments of Marcin Bylica from Olkusz, or the Moorish astrolabe from 1054.