Flamsteed's Stars: New Perspectives on the Life and Work of the First Astronomer Royal, 1646-1719 [Hardcover]

Frances Willmoth (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 18, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0851157068 | ISBN-13: 978-0851157061

John Flamsteed played a leading role in English astronomy for nearly half a century, from his appointment as `astronomical observator' to Charles II and first director of the new Royal Observatory at Greenwich, in 1675, through five successive reigns until his death on the last day of 1719. The Observatory's innovative instruments enabled him to plot the movements of the heavenly bodies with unprecedented accuracy, but he was also in correspondence with other astronomers, participating in the controversies of the day and caught up in a lengthy rivalry with Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley - reflected in the complex publishing history of the Historia Coelestis, detailed here. This book confirms Flamsteed's achievements as astronomer, mathematician, instrument maker and writer on optics, and also discusses more personal issues such as his relations with the Royal Society, his pursuit of professional recognition, and the friction between him and his eventual successor Halley.Contributors: JIM BENNETT, FRANCES WILLMOTH, MORDECHAI FEINGOLD,ADRIAN JOHNS, HESTER HIGTON, ROB ILIFFE, IAN G. STEWART, OWEN GINGERICH, ALAN COOK, WILLIAM J. ASHWORTH, ADAM PERKINS

Editorial Reviews

Review

An informed historical treatment of his career... Flamsteed is placed in his contemporary context, intellectual and institutional, social and instrumental... Willmoth puts us further in her debt by providing a handlist of Flamsteed papers. --BULLETIN of THE SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT SOCIETY

About the Author

FRANCES WILLMOTH gained her Ph.D. for her biography of Flamsteed's patron, Sir Jonas Moore.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 287 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press (December 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851157068
• ISBN-13: 978-0851157061
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,664,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)