- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
Edmond Halley is known far and wide thanks largely to the comet bearing his name, the return of which he predicted in 1705. While that discovery would be enough to make the career of any scientist, Halley’s massive contributions to the fields of astronomy, navigation, geophysics, mathematics, engineering, and actuarial science as a young man and eventually as Astronomer Royal are mostly overlooked. Edmond Halley: The Many Discoveries of the Most Curious Astronomer Royal is a revelatory and deeply researched biography of a man whose defining achievement isn’t even the half of it.
A jack-of-all-trades when it came to scientific reasoning, an all-around academic and workaholic who couldn’t leave well enough alone, Halley was amazingly productive and prolific. He was behind some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in human history: It was Halley who was the first to accurately plot the stars of the southern hemisphere. He published Isaac Newton’s Principia, arguably the most important scientific text ever written; translated the works of ancient Greek mathematician Apollonius; captained the ship Paramore on a scientific expedition to plot the Earth’s magnetic fields; was the first to calculate mortality annuities, creating the foundation for actuarial science; made improvements to the diving bell; surveyed the tides of the English Channel; and began the movement to accurately measure the distance between the Earth and Sun, unlocking the key to determining the distances to the nearest stars.
In this incisive and perceptive biography, author David K. Love reveals the boundless mind and endless curiosity of Edmond Halley firmly cementing the legacy of the second Astronomer Royal among the first-rate scientists of his time.
A jack-of-all-trades when it came to scientific reasoning, an all-around academic and workaholic who couldn’t leave well enough alone, Halley was amazingly productive and prolific. He was behind some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in human history: It was Halley who was the first to accurately plot the stars of the southern hemisphere. He published Isaac Newton’s Principia, arguably the most important scientific text ever written; translated the works of ancient Greek mathematician Apollonius; captained the ship Paramore on a scientific expedition to plot the Earth’s magnetic fields; was the first to calculate mortality annuities, creating the foundation for actuarial science; made improvements to the diving bell; surveyed the tides of the English Channel; and began the movement to accurately measure the distance between the Earth and Sun, unlocking the key to determining the distances to the nearest stars.
In this incisive and perceptive biography, author David K. Love reveals the boundless mind and endless curiosity of Edmond Halley firmly cementing the legacy of the second Astronomer Royal among the first-rate scientists of his time.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Edmond Halley by David K. Love in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Physical Sciences & Science & Technology Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Topic
Physical SciencesSubtopic
Science & Technology BiographiesTable of contents
- PREFACE
- MAP OF EUROPE IN 1700, SHOWING PLACES VISITED BY HALLEY
- INTRODUCTION: ASTRONOMY BEFORE HALLEY
- 1 HALLEY’S EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
- 2 PRINCIPIA
- 3 THE COMET
- 4 THE ROYAL SOCIETY
- 5 HALLEY’S CHARACTER AND RELIGIOUS SKEPTICISM
- 6 HALLEY, PETER THE GREAT, AND THE VOYAGES OF THE PARAMORE
- 7 OXFORD
- 8 GREENWICH
- 9 LEGACY: VENUS AND BEYOND
- APPENDIXES
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- A NOTE ABOUT THE ENDNOTES
- NOTES
- BIBLIOGRAPHY