Skip to main content

Edmund halley Biography

Edmund Halley

(Edmund or Edmond Halley; London, 1656-Greenwich, Great Britain, 1742) English astronomer.He was the first to catalog the stars in the southern sky, in his work Catalogus stellarum australium .In 1682 he observed and calculated the orbit of the comet that bears his name, and announced his return at the end of 1758, according to a theory of his that defended the existence of elliptical path comets associated with the solar system.In the most important of his works, Synopsis astronomiae cometicae (1705), he applied Newton's laws of motion to all available data on comets.Among other contributions in the field of astronomy, he demonstrated the existence of proper motion in stars, which reduced the validity of the oldest observations, and studied the complete revolution of the Moon over a period of eighteen years.His Astronomical Tables , on which he worked until his death, were valid for many years.

Edmund Halley

Contributor From Newton in his works on the gravitational attraction between bodies, Edmund Halley was the first astronomer to predict the return of comets periodically near the Earth; his last name gave name to the most famous of them.From a wealthy social background, he devoted himself from his youth to mathematics and astronomy.In 1676 he embarked for the island of Santa Elena, in the South Atlantic; there he would carry out the first cataloging of the stars in the southern sky.

His work opened the doors of English scientific society to him and, on the occasion of a project to develop a theory on gravitation and the motion of astral bodies, he came into contact with Isaac Newton.The dialogue and cooperation between the two scientists led to the conception of the famous general law of gravity, which appeared in the book Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica ( Mathematical principles of natural philosophy , 1687 ) by Newton, which Halley himself prefaced and sponsored for the editors of the work.

From 1720 until his death he was director of the Greenwich Observatory and Astronomer Royal, a prestigious position that John Flamsteed and James Bradley held before and after him.As a continuation of his works on astronomy, and applying Newton's laws, he described the parabolic orbits of a total of twenty-four comets in his book Synopsis astronomiae cometicae ( Synopsis of the astronomy of comets , 1705), and proved that the comets that had been observed in the years 1531, 1607 and 1682 were actually returns of the same comet.Of that same comet, which would later be called Halley's Comet in his honor, he predicted that it would return in the year 1758.Sixteen years after Edmund Halley's death, astronomers confirmed the complete accuracy of his prediction.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jose Triadó Mayol Biography

José Triadó Mayol (Barcelona, ​​1870- id ., 1929) Spanish draftsman, former bookseller and painter.He collaborated with his drawings in the magazines El gato negro (1898), Album Salón (1898-1899) and Hispania (1899-1902).Outstanding author of ex libris, as a painter he made the triptych Las Cortes de Manresa for the Sant Jordi room of the Generalitat of Catalonia.

Jose Maria Escrivá de Balaguer Biography

Jose María Escrivá de Balaguer (Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás; Barbastro, 1902-Rome, 1975) Spanish priest, founder of Opus Dei.Ordained in 1925, he exercised the pastoral ministry both in rural and working class environments as well as in universities.Doctor of Law and Sacred Theology, he was a professor of Philosophy, Professional Ethics and Roman Law at the universities of Zaragoza and Madrid.Among other titles, he responded to that of Grand Chancellor of the Universities of Navarra and Piura (Peru), and was a member of the Pontifical Roman Academy. Jose María Escrivá de Balaguer As honorary prelate of His Holiness, he promoted works of apostolate throughout the world, a vocation that would culminate in 1928 with the foundation of Opus Dei.This association of the faithful, of which he was president general and which from 1946 he directed from Rome, had the purpose of spreading in all areas of society (without distinction of race, state or social condition) the evangeli...

Josué T. Wilkes Biography

Josué T.Wilkes (Buenos Aires, 1883- id. , 1968) Argentine musicologist and composer.Trained in his hometown and in Paris, together with V.D'Indy, he has researched the popular music of his country ( Rhythmic classification of the Creole songbook ) and has written symphonic pieces ( Humahuaca ), chamber, religious ( The captive , oratory) and for the scene ( The horoscope ).

Jose Maria Valente Bover Biography

José María Valente Bover (Vinaroz, 1877-Sant Cugat del Vallès, 1954) Spanish theologian and scripturalist.A Jesuit since 1895, he was ordained in 1910.Professor of Sacred Scripture (1911-1950) and specialist in textual criticism of the New Testament, José María Valente Bover is the author of a Theology of Saint Paul and, in collaboration with Francisco Cantera Burgos, of a Spanish version of the Bible (1947).

Jose Mauri Biography

José Mauri (Valencia, 1856-Havana, 1937) Spanish composer.Installed in Cuba for most of his life, he founded the conservatory that bears his name there (1914).His work includes numerous songs and the opera The Slave (1921).

Angel Zárraga and Argüelles Biography

Ángel Zárraga y Argüelles (Durango, 1886-Mexico, 1946) Mexican painter and poet.Very soon he began to combine his interest in the visual arts with his innate literary vocation, and the sum of both creative activities made him one of the great figures of Aztec culture of the first half of the 20th century. As a member of the Mexican diplomatic corps, for several years he was stationed in Paris as cultural attaché to the Aztec embassy.In the French capital, Ángel Zárraga y Argüelles had the opportunity to establish contact with the main artistic figures of the moment, to learn about the latest trends and currents in European art and to participate in different groups such as the Society of Decorating Artists of Paris, which provided the opportunity to extend the field of his artistic creations to the noblest spaces of old Europe. Thus, the Mexican painter was commissioned to execute the frescoes that decorate the crypt of the church of Suresnes, the Via Crucis of the church of Meu...

Joseph Rotblat Biography

Joseph Rotblat (Warsaw, 1908-London, 2005) British physicist of Polish origin trained by the University of Warsaw.He participated in the Manhattan project to build the atomic bomb, resigning in 1944 and returning to the United Kingdom.He worked in the fields of nuclear physics and X-rays, although he was noted for his activity against nuclear weapons.He was one of the organizers of the Pugwash conference, of which he was general secretary (1957-1973) and, from 1988 until his death, president.In 1995 he received the Nobel Peace Prize, which he shared with the Pugwash conference that he chaired.

Jose Maria Quijano Biography

José María Quijano (José María Quijano Fernández-Hontoria; Corrales de Buelna, Santander, 1843-1911) Spanish lawyer and businessman, founder of Forjas de Buelna.Coming from a family with a tradition in the legal profession, José María decided to study Civil and Canon Law at the University of Valladolid, from which he graduated in 1866.After obtaining his degree, he moved to Santander where he practiced as a lawyer and as a Secretary of the Provincial Council.However, he had to leave this job because the sudden death of his in-law Víctor Gómez de los Ríos gave him the opportunity to take over the law firm that had been opened by it. José María Quijano Due to his transfer to the law firm, he went to his place of origin, and there he contacted family and friends again.Among them was his uncle Benigno Arce, who was a mining engineer.During the Universal Exhibition held in Paris in 1873, attended by Benigno and José María, a nail-making machine caught their attention.Upon their retur...

Cassiano Floristan Biography

Casiano Floristán (Casiano Floristán Samanes; Arguedas, 1926-Pamplona, ​​2006) Spanish theologian.He studied chemical sciences at the University of Zaragoza, philosophy at the University of Salamanca and theology at the University of Innsbruck (Austria), a subject in which he received his doctorate in 1959 from the University of Tübingen (Germany).Ordained a priest in 1956, since 1960 he devoted himself to teaching theology at the Pontifical University of Salamanca.He is the author, among other works, of The pastoral aspect of religious sociology (1960), Theology of pastoral action (1968), The catechumenate (1972) and Evangelization, the task of a Christian (1978).Casiano Floristán was also director of the collective work Fundamental concepts of pastoral (1983).