Edmund Halley
- Born:
- November 8, 1656, Haggerston, Middlesex, England
- Died:
- January 14, 1742, Greenwich, London, England
- Nationality:
- English
- Profession(s):
- Astronomer, Geophysics, Mathematician, Meteorologist, Physicist
Early Life and Education
- Born into a wealthy soap-making family.
- Received early education at St. Paul's School, London.
- Showed exceptional aptitude for mathematics from a young age.
- Entered Queen's College, Oxford, in 1673.
- Left Oxford without formally graduating in 1676 to dedicate himself to astronomy.
Career and Major Achievements
- In 1676, journeyed to Saint Helena to catalogue stars of the Southern Hemisphere.
- Published Catalogus Stellarum Australium (A Catalogue of Southern Stars) in 1678, which gained him recognition.
- Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1678.
- Worked as a cartographer, producing wind charts and contributing to navigation.
- Served as Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford from 1704.
- Became Astronomer Royal in 1720, succeeding John Flamsteed.
- Made significant contributions to actuarial science, calculating mortality rates.
- Studied historical records of eclipses and comets.
Notable Works
- Catalogus Stellarum Australium (1678)
- "A Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets" (1705): Predicted the periodic return of the comet now known as Halley's Comet.
- Various papers on magnetism, tides, and cartography published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
- Mortality tables used in insurance calculations.
Legacy and Impact
Edmund Halley's contributions to astronomy, mathematics, and geophysics left a lasting impact on scientific understanding. His work on cometary orbits, particularly his prediction of the return of Halley's Comet, is arguably his most famous legacy. The history of Edmund Halley shows a polymath who significantly advanced multiple scientific fields.