An Account of the Revd. John Flamsteed, the First Astronomer-Royal
To Which Is Added, his British Catalogue of Stars, Corrected and Enlarged

Flamsteed's edited papers, published in 1835, over a century after his death, restored his reputation as a meticulous observational astronomer.

Francis Baily (Author), John Flamsteed (Author)

9781108038003, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 November 2011

832 pages
29.7 x 21 x 4.2 cm, 1.96 kg

John Flamsteed (1646–1719) was the first Astronomer Royal, appointed to the newly founded Greenwich Observatory. Charged with improving navigation at sea, he used meticulous telescopic observations to compile a 'Catalogue of British Stars', radically updating Tycho Brahe's previous naked-eye calculations. However he delayed publishing, leading to a vituperative quarrel with contemporaries Newton and Halley, who published his results without his permission. Flamsteed managed to destroy most of that edition - his own was published posthumously - but his reputation was damaged. A century later, Francis Baily (1774–1844), a stockbroker who became President of the Royal Astronomical Society, rediscovered Flamsteed's papers, including autobiographical writings and extensive correspondence. Their publication in this volume, along with a revised version of the catalogue, rehabilitated Flamsteed's reputation and restated the importance of methodical observation in astronomy. Today, this book illuminates both the social context of Flamsteed's work and the intellectual climate of Baily's London.

Preface
Catalogue of Flamsteed's manuscripts
Part I. Containing Flamsteed's History of his Own Life
Appendix
Part II. Containing the British Catalogue, etc.
Supplement 1837.

Subject Areas: Astronomy, space & time [PG]