1723 in science
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The year 1723 in science and technology involved some significant events.
Geophysics
- George Graham discovers diurnal variation in Earth's magnetic field.{{cite journal|last=Graham|first=George|year=1724|title=An Account of Observations Made of the Variation of the Horizontal Needle at London, in the Latter Part of the Year 1722, and Beginning of 1723|journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society|volume=33|pages=96–107|doi=10.1098/rstl.1724.0020}}{{cite journal|last=Graham|first=George|year=1724|title=Observations of the Dipping Needle, Made at London, in the Beginning of the Year 1723|journal=Phil. Trans.|volume=33|pages=332–339|doi=10.1098/rstl.1724.0062|doi-access=free}}
- Antoine de Jussieu publishes De l'Origine et des usages de la Pierre de Foudre on the origins of fossils, prehistoric stone tools and meteorites.{{cite web|url=http://rr0.org/data/1/9/7/8/Westrum_TheCaseOfMeteorites_SocialStudiesOfScience/03/index_fr.html|title=Les pierres de foudre|accessdate=2011-10-18}}
Optics
- Giacomo F. Maraldi makes the first observation of the Arago spot, unrecognized at this time.{{cite book|last=Hecht|first=Eugene|title=Optics|location=San Francisco|publisher=Addison Wesley|year=2002|edition=4th|isbn=0-8053-8566-5|page=494}}
Births
- January 5 – Nicole-Reine Lepaute, French astronomer (died 1788)
- January 31 – Petronella Johanna de Timmerman, Dutch scientist (died 1786)
- February 17 – Tobias Mayer, German cartographer, astronomer and physicist (died 1762)
- April 30 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist (died 1806)
- November 12 – Saverio Manetti, Italian natural historian (died 1785)
Deaths
- August 26 – Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch pioneer of the microscope (born 1632)