Early life
Halley was born in Haggerston inCareer
Publications and inventions
In 1676, Flamsteed helped Halley publish his first paper, titled "A Direct and Geometrical Method of Finding the Aphelia, Eccentricities, and Proportions of the Primary Planets, Without Supposing Equality in Angular Motion", about planetaryExploration years
In 1698, at the behest of King William III, Halley was given command of the , aWhat was cosmography before these discoveries, but an imperfect fragment of a science, scarce deserving so good a name? When all the known world was only Europe, a small part of Africk, and the lesser portion of Asia; so that of this terraqueous globe not one sixth part had ever been seen or heard of. Nay so great was the ignorance of man in this particular, that learned persons made a doubt of its being round; others no less knowing imagin'd all they were not acquainted with, desart and uninhabitable. But now geography and hydrography have receiv'd some perfection by the pains of so many mariners and travelers, who to evince the rotundity of the earth and water, have sail’d and travell'd round it, as has been here made appear; to show there is no part uninhabitable, unless the frozen polar regions, have visited all other countries, tho never so remote, which they have found well peopl'd, and most of them rich and delightful…. Astronomy has receiv'd the addition of many constellations never seen before. Natural and moral history is embelish'd with the most beneficial increase of so many thousands of plants it had never before receiv'd, so many drugs and spices, such variety of beasts, birds and fishes, such rarities in minerals, mountains and waters, such unaccountable diversity of climates and men, and in them of complexions, tempers, habits, manners, politicks, and religions…. To conclude, the empire of Europe is now extended to the utmost bounds of the earth, where several of its nations have conquests and colonies. These and many more are the advantages drawn from the labours of those, who expose themselves to the dangers of the vast ocean, and of unknown nations; which those who sit still at home abundantly reap in every kind: and the relation of one traveler is an incentive to stir up another to imitate him, whilst the rest of mankind, in their accounts without stirring a foot, compass the earth and seas, visit all countries, and converse with all nations.
Life as an academic
In November 1703, Halley was appointed Savilian Professor of Geometry at the University of Oxford, his theological enemies, John Tillotson and Bishop Stillingfleet having died. In 1705, applyingPersonal life
Halley married Mary Tooke in 1682 and settled in Islington. The couple had three children.Named after Edmond Halley
* Halley's Comet (orbital period (approximately) 75 years) * Halley (lunar crater) * Halley (Martian crater) * Halley Research Station, Antarctica * Halley's method, for the numerical solution of equations * Halley Street, in Blackburn, Victoria, Australia * Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park, Oxford, OX4 4DQ UK * Edmund Halley Drive, Reston, Virginia, United States * Edmund Halley Way, Greenwich Peninsula, London * Halley's Mount, Saint Helena (680m high) * Halley Drive, Hackensack, New Jersey, Hackensack, New Jersey, intersects with Comet Way on the campus of Hackensack High School, home of the Comets * Rue Edmund Halley, Avignon, France * The Halley Academy, a school in London, England * Halley House School, Hackney London (2015) * Halley Gardens, Blackheath, London.Pronunciation and spelling
There are three pronunciations of the surname ''Halley''. These are , , and . As a personal surname, the most common pronunciation in the 21st century, both in Great Britain and in the United States, is (rhymes with "valley"). This is the personal pronunciation used by most Halleys living in London today. This is useful guidance but does not, of course, tell us how the name should be pronounced in the context of the astronomer or the comet. The alternative is much more common in the latter context than it is when used as a modern surname. Colin Ronan, one of Halley's biographers, preferred . Contemporary accounts spell his name ''Hailey, Hayley, Haley, Haly, Halley, Hawley'' and ''Hawly'', and presumably pronunciations varied similarly. As for his given name, although the spelling "Edmund" is quite common, "Edmond" is what Halley himself used, according to a 1902 article,''The Times'' (London) ''Notes and Queries'' No. 254, 8 November 1902 p.36 though a 2007 ''International Comet Quarterly'' article disputes this, commenting that in his published works, he used "Edmund" 22 times and "Edmond" only 3 times, with several other variations used as well, such as the Latinised "Edmundus". Much of the debate stems from the fact that, in Halley's own time, English spelling conventions were not yet standardised, and so he himself used multiple spellings.In popular media
* Halley is voiced by Cary Elwes in the 2014 documentary series ''Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey''. * A fictional version of Halley appears in ''The Magnus Archives'', a horror podcast. * Actor John Wood (English actor), John Wood was cast as Edmond Halley in the TV series, ''Longitude (TV serial), Longitude'' in 2000. * Halley is a major figure in David Williamson's play ''Nearer the Gods'', about Isaac Newton, Sir Isaac Newton * The pronunciation was used by rock and roll singer Bill Haley, who called his backing band his "Comets" after the common pronunciation of Halley's Comet in the United States at the time.See also
* History of geomagnetismNotes
References
Sources
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