06-Oct-2009, 07:56 PM
Jeremiah Horrocks (1619 to 1641) and the Transit of Venus.
On 24 November 1639 (Julian Calendar) in the tiny Lancashire
village of Much Hoole, Jeremiah Horrocks made the first
observations of a Transit of Venus.
He was one of the first Englishmen to appreciate the astronomical
revolution going on in Europe following the works of Tycho, Galileo and Kepler.
It was Horrocks who first proved that the orbit of the moon is an
ellipse, and Newton made good use of Horrocks’ discovery.
Horrocks, who died at age 22, can be considered to be the father
of British astrophysics for the remarkable depth of his
accomplishments.
His legacy reverberates today.
On 24 November 1639 (Julian Calendar) in the tiny Lancashire
village of Much Hoole, Jeremiah Horrocks made the first
observations of a Transit of Venus.
He was one of the first Englishmen to appreciate the astronomical
revolution going on in Europe following the works of Tycho, Galileo and Kepler.
It was Horrocks who first proved that the orbit of the moon is an
ellipse, and Newton made good use of Horrocks’ discovery.
Horrocks, who died at age 22, can be considered to be the father
of British astrophysics for the remarkable depth of his
accomplishments.
His legacy reverberates today.