Edmond Halley Biography
(Mathematician known for Calculating the Orbit of a Comet & Was the Second Astronomer Royal in Britain)
Birthday: November 8, 1656 (Scorpio)
Born In: Haggerston, London, England
Edmond Halley was a British astronomer and mathematician, known for calculating the orbit of Halley’s Comet. Born the middle of the seventeenth century to a wealthy soap-maker in London, he was educated first at St. Paul’s School, where he developed his initial interest in astronomy. Later while studying at Queens College, Oxford, he met John Flamsteed and inspired by his effort to catalogue northern stars, he left for St Helena to make a list of the southern stars. When he returned to London he had a catalogue of 341 stars, which he published as ‘Catalogus Stellarum Australium’. It instantly established him as a leading astronomer, earning him a fellowship at the Royal Society and a M.A. degree from Oxford. Later, he made many important astronomical discoveries, subsequently becoming the second Astronomer Royal in Britain. However, his interest was not limited only to astronomy or mathematics; he also showed considerable interest in archeology, medical abnormalities, general biology, geology, geography, physics, and engineering; making significant contributions in these fields.