Ole Rømer's Room (room F)
Astronomer Ole Rømer (1644-1710) was educated at the University of Copenhagen but lived from 1672-1681 at the Observatory in Paris. From 1681, Ole Rømer became Christian V's trusted man and was employed at the Danish court.
Ole Rømer's Work
Ole Rømer gained international fame when, during a study of Jupiter's moons, he discovered the "delay of light" - what we today call the "speed of light." In 1680, he presented a machine that showed the orbits of the planets (called a planetarium) and a machine to determine lunar eclipses (called an eklipsarium) to the Academy of Sciences in Paris and to the French King Louis XIV. Both machines still exist in Paris, but here in Ole Rømer's Room, you can see a similar set. The set here in the room was acquired by Christian V in 1682, and in 1685, he received two additional sets as gifts from Siam and the Emperor of China.
After his return in 1681, Ole Rømer became the king's trusted man in all technical matters. He developed a number of rationalizations of existing systems, including uniform measures and weights.
The original "national prototypes," which were handed over to the King in 1683-1684, can be seen here in the room.
Objects in the room
If you are physically at the museum, you can admire the outstanding objects and read more about them below.
Please note that these descriptions are brief and often without images. They serve as an additional resource for those who wish to gain more knowledge about each object, such as who created them, their origin, and significance.