Edmond Halley

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

Born 8 Nov 1656
Died 14 Jan 1742
Activity 1676-1742

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Astronomer

Resources

Halley's Works

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Educated at St. Paul’s School, London, and Queen’s College, Oxford, Halley was inspired by Flamsteed’s mapping of the stars visible from Britain, he obtained financial support from his rather and King Charles II to make observations of the Southern Hemisphere and sailed to Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, 1676-8. His star catalog was published in 1678 and earned him election to the Royal Society.

With Sir Christopher Wren , Sir Isaac Newton and Robert Hooke he both collaborated and competed to understand planetary motion, eventually assisting Newton in the publication of his Principia (1687) which established the elliptical orbit of planets around the sun and the theory of gravitational attraction which prevented planets flying off into open space.

With Sir Christopher Wren , Sir…

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249 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Edmond Halley". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 August 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5824, accessed 22 November 2024.]