John Flamsteed: The First Astronomer Royal at Greenwich - Hardcover

Birks, John L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1860335683 ISBN 13: 9781860335686

Publisher: Avon Books London, 1999

Synopsis

Biography of John Flamsteed - the first Astronomer Royal at Greenwich. Avoiding technical jargon, this is written for the general reader with no previous knowledge of astronomy.

About this title

From the Publisher:

John Flamsteed (1646-1719), the first Astronomer Royal.
From his rather modest background in the Derbyshire countryside but seemingly born with a burning interest in astronomy, John Flamsteed rose to become the first Astronomer Royal under King Charles II. His work at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich laid the groundwork for astrology over the next century and achieved world-wide fame.

This book is of interest to amateur astronomers and anyone wishing to know about the founding of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and the work of the 17th Century astronomers who struggled to put the subject on a firm scientific bases.. It is the only biography of John Flamsteed published, apart from Francis Baily’s Account of the Revd. John Flamsteed of 1853., and easily readable without demanding any previous knowledge of astronomy. It tries to portray the character of a man who met with various difficulties as he pursued a scientific career at a time when very few people were similarly employed.

It is not an academic book and contains no long lists of footnotes or references but it has many illustrations of the equipment Flamsteed used and the places he worked from and describes the ‘why?’ of the research in which he was engaged. It also describes his relationships with the famous men like Newton and Halley, and briefly mentions his contacts with many other prominent people of the time.

John L. Birks PH.D. the author, was born and brought up in Derbyshire, near where John Flamsteed had his origins. Dr. Birks has recently retired after a long career concerned with the applications of Physics in Medicine. He now lives in Wales and is Chairman of the Swansea Astronomical Society. Amongst other things, he takes an interest in ornithology. USER-LOCATION: RATING: REVIEW: From his rather modest background in the Derbyshire countryside but seemingly born with a burning interest in astronomy, John Flamsteed rose to become the first Astronomer Royal under King Charles II. His work at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich laid the groundwork for astronomy over the next century and achieved world-wide fame.

This book is of interest to amateur astronomers and anyone wishing to know about the founding of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and the work of the 17th Century astronomers who struggled to put the subject on a firm scientific base. It is the only biography of John Flamsteed published, apart from Francis Baily’s Account of the Revd. John Flamsteed of 1835, and easily readable without demanding any previous knowledge of astronomy. It tries to portray the character of a man who met with various difficulties as he pursued a scientific career at a time when very few people were similarly employed.

It is not an academic book and contains no long lists of footnotes or references but it has many illustrations of the equipment Flamsteed used and the places he worked from and describes the ‘how?’ of the research in which he was engaged. It also describes his relationships with famous men like Newton and Halley, and briefly mentions his contacts with many other prominent people of the time.

John L. Birks PH.D. the author, was born and brought up in Derbyshire, near where John Flamsteed had his origins. Dr. Birks has recently retired after a long career concerned with the applications of Physics in Medicine. He now lives in Wales and is Chairman of the Swansea Astronomical Society. Amongst other things, he takes an interest in ornithology and mountain walking.

About this edition

• Publisher: Avon Books London
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1860335683
• ISBN 13: 9781860335686
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 178