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Edmond Halley, FRS is an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist and physicist. He was England's second royal astronomer, succeeding John Flamsteed in 1720. From an observatory he built on St. Helena, Halley recorded the movement of Mercury through the Sun. He realized that a similar journey of Venus could be used to determine the size of the solar system. He also used his observations to expand contemporary star maps. He helped prove Isaac Newton's laws of motion by observing and funding the publication of Newton's influential Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. From his observations in September 1682, he used the law of motion to compute the period of comet Halley in his 1705 Comet Astronomical Summary. It was named after him during his scheduled return trip in 1758, where he no longer lived to see. From 1698, he made sailing expeditions and observed the conditions of terrestrial magnetism.
| Born | 8 November [O.S. 29 October]1656, Haggerston, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 25 January 1742 [O.S. 14 January 1742] (aged 85), Greenwich, Kent, England |
| Resting place | St. Margaret's, Lee, South London |
| Nationality | English |
| Fields | Astronomy, geophysics, mathematics, meteorology, physics, cartography |
| Institutions | University of Oxford, Royal Observatory, Greenwich |
| Alma mater | The Queen's College, Oxford |
| Children | Edmond Halley (d. 1742), Margaret (d. 1713), Richelle (d. 1748) |
About Edmond Halley
An English mathematician who is credited with being the first to calculate Halley's Comet's orbit. He was also the second Astronomer Royal in British history, a prestigious position in the Royal Households of the United Kingdom.
Edmond Halley before fame
After studying at Oxford University, he became a fellow of the Royal Society.
Achievement of Edmond Halley
He was censured by The Royal Society when he suggested that the biblical story of Noah's arc surviving a flood could have been caused by a comet.
Edmond Halley family life
Edmond, Margaret, and Richelle were his three children with Mary Tooke.
Associations of Edmond Halley
A comet was named after his contemporary Sir Isaac Newton [Physicist].
Top Facts You Did Not Know About Edmond Halley
History of Geomagnetism - The history of geomagnetism is linked to the history of terrestrial magnetic research. It includes the history of compass navigation, research on prehistoric magnetic fields and applications to plate tectonics.. Savilian Geometry Professor. The Royal Astronomers. British geophysicists. 18th century English mathematicians TM_VZ! British climatologists. 17th century English mathematicians TM_VZ! Halley's comet. Inventors of diving equipment. British meteorologists. 18th century astronomers. British astronomers. British physicists. Everyone is educated at St Paul's School in London. British inventors. Alumni of Queen's College, Oxford
Latest information about Edmond Halley updated on August 10 2021.
