Edmond Halley was born in Haggerston, England, on November 8, 1656. From an early age, he dedicated himself to the study of mathematics and astronomy.
In 1675, Halley decisively collaborated with John Flamsteed, the British Royal Astronomer, on the design and construction of the Greenwich Observatory. He became his assistant in the project, which involved using the telescope to compile a catalog of stars visible in the northern hemisphere.
Between 1676 and 1678, Edmond Halley participated in the astronomical expedition to the island of Saint Helena, in order to prepare a catalog of the stars in the southern hemisphere. After numerous observations, Halley compiled a catalog with 341 stars.
On November 7, 1677, Halley observed the transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the Sun, which sparked the idea of using similar phenomena to determine the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
In 1682, Edmond Halley identified a bright comet and determined its elliptical orbit using Newton’s method. He demonstrated that the comets observed in 1531, 1607, and 1682 were the same comet on distinct passages, with a periodic appearance occurring every 76 years.
Based on his observations, Halley predicted that the comet would reappear between 1758 and 1759, which was confirmed on March 12, 1759; however, Halley had already passed away and did not witness the event. In his honor, the comet was named Halley. The last passage of the comet occurred on February 12, 1986.
In 1684, he met Isaac Newton for the first time. They became friends, which was very productive in scientific terms. Edmond Halley played an important role in the publication of “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy,” a work by Isaac Newton with a preface by Halley himself, where Newton published, among other things, his famous law of universal gravitation. Other Contributions of Halley:
• Halley is credited with calculating the orbits of other comets.
• Notable studies on terrestrial magnetism.
• Demonstrated that the so-called “fixed stars” have their own motion, albeit very slow.
• Compiled the first known weather chart, a map of the prevailing winds over the oceans, published in 1686.
Edmond Halley passed away in Greenwich, near London, England, on January 14, 1742.
Source: www.ebiografias.com, by Dilva Frazão