An Account of the Revd. John Flamsteed, the First Astronomer-Royal : To Which Is Added, his British Catalogue of Stars, Corrected and Enlarged Paperback / softback
by Francis Baily, John Flamsteed
Part of the Cambridge Library Collection - Astronomy series
Paperback / softback
- Information
Description
John Flamsteed (1646–1719) was the first Astronomer Royal, appointed to the newly founded Greenwich Observatory.
Charged with improving navigation at sea, he used meticulous telescopic observations to compile a 'Catalogue of British Stars', radically updating Tycho Brahe's previous naked-eye calculations.
However he delayed publishing, leading to a vituperative quarrel with contemporaries Newton and Halley, who published his results without his permission.
Flamsteed managed to destroy most of that edition - his own was published posthumously - but his reputation was damaged.
A century later, Francis Baily (1774–1844), a stockbroker who became President of the Royal Astronomical Society, rediscovered Flamsteed's papers, including autobiographical writings and extensive correspondence.
Their publication in this volume, along with a revised version of the catalogue, rehabilitated Flamsteed's reputation and restated the importance of methodical observation in astronomy.
Today, this book illuminates both the social context of Flamsteed's work and the intellectual climate of Baily's London.
Information
-
Out of StockMore expected soonContact us for further information
- Format:Paperback / softback
- Pages:832 pages
- Publisher:Cambridge University Press
- Publication Date:03/11/2011
- Category:
- ISBN:9781108038003
Information
-
Out of StockMore expected soonContact us for further information
- Format:Paperback / softback
- Pages:832 pages
- Publisher:Cambridge University Press
- Publication Date:03/11/2011
- Category:
- ISBN:9781108038003