Per Pippin Aspaas
Despite a promising start in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Denmark-Norway was not a Great Power of Astronomy any longer when the eighteenth-century transits of Venus occurred. Official activity relating to the transit of 1761 was very limited; in this respect, Denmark-Norway was completely overshadowed by Sweden and Russia. In 1769 steps were taken to invite an astronomer of international reputation, the Jesuit Father Maximilianus Hell. He arrived in 1768 and left the country two years later, having published an elaborate report in the name of the King Christian VII. Although Hell's observations from Vardoehus were successful, Denmark-Norway failed to re-establish itself as a country capable of delivering noteworthy contributions to the European community of astronomers. Sweden and Russia displayed a higher level of activity, both quantitatively and qualitatively, making the impression of Denmark-Norway's lagging behind even stronger..
Manuscript: jad19_1d.pdf