Abstract
Astronomy was introduced to Siam (present-day Thailand) over 300 years ago during the reign of King Narai, the Great. The first astronomical observatory was built in Loburi province by French missionary-astronomers and various astronomical instruments were brought to Siam at that time. After King Narai died, astronomy was neglected for over 180 years until the reign of King Rama IV when astronomy became more popular. Members of the Royal Family, King Rama IV in particular, were very interested in astronomy and hence became patrons of modern astronomy in Siam. King Rama IV himself made a precise calculation of the time and location of a total solar eclipse which could be observed from Siam on 18 August 1868. However, modern astronomy in Siam did not evolve rapidly at this time, due in part to the slow development of the educational system.
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Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Dr. Suparerk Aukkaravittayapun and Professor Wayne Orchiston (both from NARIT) for their assistance in finalizing this chapter.
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Soonthornthum, B. (2017). The Development of Astronomy and Emergence of Astrophysics in Thailand. In: Nakamura, T., Orchiston, W. (eds) The Emergence of Astrophysics in Asia. Historical & Cultural Astronomy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62082-4_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62082-4_11
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