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