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.

Exploration

• 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).<ref>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.</ref>

Mathematics

• The first book about games of chance, Girolamo Cardano's Liber de ludo aleae ("On Casting the Die"), written in the 1560s, is published.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Meteorology

• October 7 – Robert Hooke presents his "Method for making a history of the weather" to the Royal Society of London.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Technology

• The earliest known surviving clock with an anchor escapement is made by William Clement in England.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>The clock is in the Irish Museum of Time. Template:Cite news</ref>

Publications

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

Births

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

Deaths

• December 28 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian physicist (born 1618)