1663 in science

The year 1663 in science and technology involved some significant events.

Astronomy

Scottish mathematician James Gregory publishes Optica Promota, describing theoretically the Gregorian telescope.

March 4 – The Prince Edward Islands in the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean are discovered by Barent Barentszoon Lam of the Dutch ship Maerseveen and named Dina (Prince Edward) and Maerseveen (Marion).Leupe, Pieter Arend Leupe (1868). "De eilanden Dina en Maerseveen in den Zuider Atlantischen Oceaan" in: Verhandelingen en berigten betrekkelijk het zeewezen, de zeevaartkunde, de hydrographie, de koloniën en de daarmede in verband staande wetenschappen, Deel 28, Afd. 2, [no.] 9 (Amsterdam) pp. 242–253.

The first book about games of chance, Girolamo Cardano's Liber de ludo aleae ("On Casting the Die"), written in the 1560s, is published.{{cite book|first=V. J.|last=Katz|title=A History of Mathematics: An Introduction|edition=3rd|location=Boston, Mass.|publisher=Pearson Education|year=2009|page=488}}

October 7 – Robert Hooke presents his "Method for making a history of the weather" to the Royal Society of London.{{cite book|last=Espinasse|first=Margaret|title=Robert Hooke|year=1956|publisher=Heinemann|location=London|page=50|oclc=459411551}}

The earliest known surviving clock with an anchor escapement is made by William Clement in England.{{cite book|last=Reid|first=Thomas|title=Treatise on Clock and Watch-making, Theoretical and Practical|publisher=Carey & Lea|year=1832|location=Philadelphia, Pa|url=https://archive.org/details/treatiseonclock01reidgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/treatiseonclock01reidgoog/page/n198 184]}}{{cite book|last=Beckett|first=Edmund|authorlink=Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe|year=1874|title=A Rudimentary Treatise on Clocks and Watches and Bells|edition=6th|publisher=Lockwood|location=London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OvQ3AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA75|page=71}}{{cite book|last=Usher|first=Abbott Payson|title=A History of Mechanical Inventions|year=1988|publisher=Courier Dover|location=New York|page=313|isbn=0-486-25593-X|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xuDDqqa8FlwC&pg=PA312}}The clock is in the Irish Museum of Time. {{cite news|date=2024-03-28|title=Museum of Time...|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/museum-of-time-faces-exercise-in-patience-putting-200-clocks-forward-this-weekend/a1629974158.html|access-date=2024-09-26|newspaper=Irish Independent|location=Dublin}}

Robert Boyle publishes Considerations touching the Usefulness of Experimental Natural Philosophy (first part).

August 31 – Guillaume Amontons, French scientific instrument inventor and physicist (died 1705)