Edmond Halley FRS (IPA: /ˈɛdmənd ˈhɔːlɪ/) (November 8, 1656 – January 14, 1742) was an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist. Image File history File links Edmund_Halley. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events Mehmed Köprülü becomes Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. ... Haggerston is a place in the London Borough of Hackney. ... Shoreditch Town Hall Shoreditch is a place in the London Borough of Hackney. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events January 24 - Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor. ... This article is about Greenwich in England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Astronomy (disambiguation). ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... For other meanings of mathematics or uses of math and maths, see Mathematics (disambiguation) and Math (disambiguation). ... // Meteorology (from Greek: μετέωρον, meteoron, high in the sky; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. ... A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Alma mater is Latin for nourishing mother. It was used in ancient Rome as a title for the mother goddess, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... John Flamsteed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... This article is about the comet. ... For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events Mehmed Köprülü becomes Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events January 24 - Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Galileo is often referred to as the Father of Modern Astronomy. ... Geophysics, the study of the earth by quantitative physical methods, especially by seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, and radioactivity methods. ... Leonhard Euler, considered one of the greatest mathematicians of all time A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and research is the field of mathematics. ... Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. ... Not to be confused with physician, a person who practices medicine. ...

Biography and career

Halley was born in Haggerston, Shoreditch, England, the son of a wealthy soapboiler. As a child, Halley was very interested in mathematics. He studied at St Paul's School, and then, from 1673, at The Queen's College, Oxford. While an undergraduate, Halley published papers on the solar system and sunspots. Haggerston is a place in the London Borough of Hackney. ... Shoreditch Town Hall Shoreditch is a place in the London Borough of Hackney. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... St Pauls School St Pauls School is a boys public school, founded in 1509 by John Colet. ... College name The Queens College Collegii Reginae Named after Queen Philippa of Hainault Established 1341 Sister College Pembroke College Provost Sir Alan Budd JCR President Vishal Mashru Undergraduates 350 MCR President Matthias Range Graduates 133 Homepage Boatclub High Street entrance to Queens College from the main quad. ... In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelors degree. ... This article is about the Solar System. ... For other uses, see Sunspot (disambiguation). ...

On leaving Oxford, in 1676, Halley visited the south Atlantic island of St. Helena with the intention of studying stars from the Southern Hemisphere. He returned to England in November 1678. In the following year he went to Danzig (Gdańsk) on behalf of the Royal Society to help resolve a dispute. Because astronomer Johannes Hevelius did not use a telescope, his observations had been questioned by Robert Hooke. Halley stayed with Hevelius and he observed and verified the quality of Hevelius' observations. The same year, Halley published Catalogus Stellarum Australium which included details of 341 southern stars. These additions to present-day star maps earned him comparison with Tycho Brahe. Halley was awarded his M.A. degree at Oxford and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. The University of Oxford (informally Oxford University), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Saint Helena refers to both an island and administrative unit in the South Atlantic Ocean 2,800 km off the west coast of Angola, and to the British Overseas territory that includes it and the dependencies of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; this article describes both. ... STARS can mean: Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society Special Tactics And Rescue Service, a fictional task force that appears in Capcoms Resident Evil video game franchise. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For alternative meanings of GdaÅ„sk and Danzig, see GdaÅ„sk (disambiguation) and Danzig (disambiguation) Motto: Nec temere, nec timide (No rashness, no timidness) Coordinates: , Country Voivodeship Powiat city county Gmina GdaÅ„sk Established 10th century City Rights 1263 Government  - Mayor PaweÅ‚ Adamowicz Area  - City 262 km²  (101. ... Johannes Hevelius Johannes Hevelius (Latin), also called Johann Hewelke, Johannes Höwelcke or Johannes Hewel (in German), or Jan Heweliusz (in Polish), (born January 28, 1611 – died January 28, 1687), was a councillor and mayor in Danzig (GdaÅ„sk). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Robert Hooke, FRS (July 18, 1635 – March 3, 1703) was an English polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work. ... Johannes Hevelius Johannes Hevelius or Johann Hewelke or Johannes Hewel (German) or Jan Heweliusz (Polish) (January 28, 1611-January 28, 1687) was an astronomer; called the founder of lunar topography. ... Star Maps were ancient semi-sentient devices created during the reign of the Rakatan Infinite Empire. ... This article is about the astronomer. ... For other uses, see Royal Society (disambiguation). ...

In 1686 Halley published the second part of the results from his St. Helena expedition, being a paper and chart on trade winds and monsoons. In this he identified solar heating as the cause of atmospheric motions. He also established the relationship between barometric pressure and height above sea level. His charts were an important contribution to the emerging field of information visualization. Image:Atmospheric circulatlion. ... For other uses, see Monsoon (disambiguation). ... Air redirects here. ... A barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... Information visualization is a complex research area. ...

Halley married Mary Tooke in 1682 and settled in Islington and the couple had three children. He spent most of his time on lunar observations, but was also interested in the problems of gravity. One problem that attracted his attention was the proof of Kepler's laws of planetary motion. In August 1684 he went to Cambridge to discuss this with Sir Isaac Newton, only to find that Newton had solved the problem, but published nothing. Halley convinced him to write the Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis (1687), which was published at Halley's expense. For other uses, see Islington (disambiguation). ... Gravity is a force of attraction that acts between bodies that have mass. ... Illustration of Keplers three laws with two planetary orbits. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the most prestigious universities in the world. ... Sir Isaac Newton in Knellers portrait of 1689. ... Newtons own copy of his Principia, with hand written corrections for the second edition. ...

In 1690, Halley built a diving bell, a device in which the atmosphere was replenished by way of weighted barrels of air sent down from the surface. In a demonstration, Halley and five companions dived to 60 feet in the River Thames, and remained there for over an hour and a half. Halley's bell was of little use for practical salvage work, as it was very heavy, but he did make improvements to it over time, later extending his underwater exposure time to over 4 hours.^[1] Diving bell A diving bell also known as a wet bell is a cable-suspended airtight chamber, open at the bottom like a moon pool structure, that is lowered underwater to operate as a base or a means of transport for a small number of divers. ... This article is about the River Thames in southern England. ...

Bust of Edmond Halley in the Museum of the Royal Greenwich Observatory

In 1693 Halley published an article on life annuities, which featured an analysis of age-at-death on the basis of the Breslau statistics Caspar Neumann had been able to provide. This article allowed the British government to sell life annuities at an appropriate price based on the age of the purchaser. Halley's work strongly influenced the development of actuarial science. The construction of the life-table for Breslau, which followed more primitive work by John Graunt, is now seen as a major event in the history of demography. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (639x960, 284 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Edmond Halley Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (639x960, 284 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Edmond Halley Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Royal Observatory, Greenwich. ... Motto: Miasto spotkaÅ„ (the meeting place) Coordinates: , Country Poland Voivodeship Lower Silesian Powiat city county Gmina WrocÅ‚aw Established 10th century City Rights 1262 Government  - Mayor RafaÅ‚ Dutkiewicz Area  - City 292. ... Caspar Neumann (*14 Sep. ... 2003 US mortality (life) table, Table 1, Page 1 Actuarial science applies mathematical and statistical methods to finance and insurance, particularly to the assessment of risk. ... John Graunt (1620-1674) was one of the first demographers. ... Map of countries by population Population growth showing projections for later this century Demography is the statistical study of all populations. ...

In 1698, Halley was given the command of the 52 foot pink, Paramour (a pink was a form of small unrated vessel, akin to a sloop), so that he could carry out investigations in the South Atlantic into the laws governing the variation of the compass. On 19 August 1698, he took command of the vessel and, in November 1698, sailed on what was the first purely scientific voyage by an English naval vessel. Unfortunately problems of insubordination arose, allegedly by officers resentful of being under a civilian's command. The Paramour returned to England in July 1699. Halley thereupon received a commission as a temporary Captain in the Royal Navy, recommissioned the Paramour on 24 August 1699 and sailed again in September 1699 to make extensive observations on the conditions of terrestrial magnetism. This task he accomplished in a second Atlantic voyage which lasted until 6 September 1700, and extended from 52 degrees north to 52 degrees south. The results were published in General Chart of the Variation of the Compass (1701). This was the first such chart to be published and the first on which isogonic, or Halleyan, lines appeared. There are two classifications of Pink. ... Magnetic declination. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 4 - Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. ... Events January 26 - Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 - the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 26 - Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 - the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. ... Events January 26 - Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 - the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. ... For other senses of this word, see magnetism (disambiguation). ... is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 1 - Russia accepts Julian calendar. ... Isogonic lines are lines connecting those parts where the declination of the Earths magnetic field is the same in amount. ...

In November 1703 Halley was appointed Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford University, and received an honorary degree of doctor of laws in 1710. In 1705, applying historical astronomy methods, he published Synopsis Astronomia Cometicae, which stated his belief that the comet sightings of 1456, 1531, 1607, and 1682 related to the same comet, which he predicted would return in 1758. When it did it became generally known as Halley's Comet. The Savilian Chair of Geometry is the position of professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford in England. ... The University of Oxford (informally Oxford University), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Historical astronomy is the science of analysing historical astronomical data. ... This article is about the comet. ...

Grave of Edmond Halley

In 1716 Halley suggested a high-precision measurement of the distance between the Earth and the Sun by timing the transit of Venus. In doing so he was following the method described by James Gregory in Optica Promota (in which the design of the Gregorian telescope is also described). It is reasonable to assume Halley possessed and had read this book given that the Gregorian design was the principal telescope design used in astronomy in Halley's day. It is not to Halley's credit that he failed to acknowledge Gregory's priority in this matter. In 1718 he discovered the proper motion of the "fixed" stars by comparing his astrometric measurements with those given in Ptolemy's Almagest. Arcturus and Sirius were two noted to have moved significantly, the latter having progressed 30 arc minutes (about the diameter of the moon) southwards in 1800 years.^[2] This article is about the astronomical phenomenon. ... James Gregory For other people with the same name, see James Gregory. ... The proper motion of a star is the motion of the position of the star in the sky (the change in direction in which we see it, as opposed to the radial velocity) after eliminating the improper motions of the stars, which affect their measured coordinates but are not real... Illustration of the use of optical wavelength interferometry to determine precise positions of stars. ... For other uses, see Arcturus (disambiguation). ... This article is about the brightest star in the night sky of Earth. ...

In 1720, Halley succeeded John Flamsteed as Astronomer Royal, a position which Halley held until his death in Greenwich, at the age of 85. He was buried in the graveyard of the old church of St. Margaret, Lee, (now ruined), which sits at the junction of Lee Terrace and Brandram Road, across from the Victorian Parish Church of St. Margaret which replaced it, in the same vault as Astronomer Royal John Pond; the unmarked grave of Astronomer Royal Nathaniel Bliss is nearby. It is about 30 minutes walk from the Greenwich Observatory. John Flamsteed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. ... This article is about Greenwich in England. ... John Pond (c. ... The Reverend Nathaniel Bliss (28 November 1700-2 September 1764) was a noted English astronomer of the 18th century, serving as Astronomer Royal between 1762 and 1764. ...

Hollow Earth

In 1692 (Philosophical Transactions of Royal Society of London), Halley put forth the idea of a hollow Earth consisting of a shell about 500 miles (800 km) thick, two inner concentric shells and an innermost core, about the diameters of the planets Venus, Mars, and Mercury. Atmospheres separate these shells, and each shell has its own magnetic poles. The spheres rotate at different speeds. Halley proposed this scheme in order to explain anomalous compass readings. He envisaged the atmosphere inside as luminous (and possibly inhabited) and speculated that escaping gas caused the Aurora Borealis.^[3] ... A Hollow Earth theory posits that the planet Earth has a hollow interior and, possibly, a habitable inner surface. ... For other uses, see Venus (disambiguation). ... Adjectives: Martian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 0. ... This article is about the planet. ... Atmosphere is the general name for a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Aurora borealis Polar aurorae are optical phenomena characterized by colorful displays of light in the night sky. ...

Named after Halley

Plaque in South Cloister of Westminster Abbey

• Halley's Comet — Halley predicted the comet's return.
• Halley crater on Mars.
• Halley crater on the Moon.
• Halley Research Station, Antarctica.
• Halley's method, for the numerical solution of equations.
• Halley Street, in Blackburn, Victoria, Australia.

An alternative (and incorrect) pronunciation of Halley's surname, to rhyme with "Bailey", has led to rock and roll singer Bill Haley punningly calling his backing band "His Comets" after Halley's Comet. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 492 pixelsFull resolution (1266 × 778 pixel, file size: 178 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Plaque commemmorating Edmond Halley in the South Cloister of Westminster Abbey, London, England. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 492 pixelsFull resolution (1266 × 778 pixel, file size: 178 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Plaque commemmorating Edmond Halley in the South Cloister of Westminster Abbey, London, England. ... The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral (and indeed often mistaken for one), in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ... Comet Halley, officially designated 1P/Halley, more generally known as Halleys Comet after Edmond Halley, is a comet that can be seen every 75-76 years. ... Halley (crater) can refer to any of the following: Halley crater on the Moon. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... Halley is a lunar impact crater that is intruding into the southern wall of the Hipparchus walled-plain. ... This article is about Earths moon. ... Halley 5, Winter 1999 Halley Research Station, located at , on the Brunt Ice Shelf floating on the Weddell Sea in Antarctica is a British research facility dedicated to the study of the Earths atmosphere. ... In numerical analysis, Halleys method is a root-finding algorithm used for functions of one real variable with a continuous second derivative, i. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... Bill Haley, with his band, the Comets, was one of the first rock and roll acts to tour the United Kingdom. ... A backing band or backup band is a band which accompanies an artist at a live performance or on a recording. ...

Notes and References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Todd Carroll (1945-), Ph. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Skeptics Dictionary is a web site with a collection of cross-referenced skeptical essays by Robert Todd Carroll, PhD. It primarily exposes claims that its editors consider pseudoscientific (sometimes in a pseudoskeptical fashion though). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bibliography

• Armitage, Angus, Edmond Halley (Nelson, 1966)
• Cook, Alan H., Edmond Halley: Charting the Heavens and the Seas (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998)
• Ronan, Colin A., Edmond Halley, Genius in Eclipse (Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1969)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Edmond Halley

• A Halley Odyssey
• Halley, Edmund, An Estimate of the Degrees of the Mortality of Mankind (1693).
• Halley, Edmund, Considerations on the Changes of the Latitudes of Some of the Principal Fixed Stars (1718) - Reprinted in R. G. Aitken, Edmund Halley and Stellar Proper Motions (1942)
• O'Connor, John J; Edmund F. Robertson "Edmond Halley". MacTutor History of Mathematics archive.  
• There is material on Halley's life table for Breslau on the Life and Work of Statisticians website: Halley, Edmond
• The National Portrait Gallery (London) has several portraits of Edmond Halley: Search the collection
• Edmond Halley Biography (SEDS)