James bradley astronomer biography of albert einstein

James Bradley

English astronomer
Country: Great Britain

Content:
  1. Early Life and Education
  2. Astronomical Observations
  3. Academic Career
  4. Scientific Contributions
  5. Star Catalog
  6. Planetary Measurements
  7. Royal Pension and Legacy

Early Life and Education

James Bradley was born on March 3, , in Sherborne, Gloucestershire, England.

James bradley astronomer biography of albert einstein Further Reading There is a thorough biography of Bradley in the preface to Stephen Peter Rigaud's edition of Bradley's Miscellaneous Works and Correspondence , which is the source of practically all the short notices of Bradley's life that have appeared since. James Griesinger of Ulm, Bl. The overall change in position over the six months was about a one hundredth of a degree. A notable exception was the Graham zenith sector, which remained.

As a child, he showed great interest in mathematics and astronomy. In , he graduated from Balliol College, Oxford University.

Astronomical Observations

Under the guidance of his uncle, the renowned astronomer John Pound, Bradley began conducting astronomical observations. In , he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London.

In , while observing the star γ Draconis, he detected an annual displacement that could only be explained by the Earth's orbital motion and the finite speed of light. This discovery, known as the aberration of light, became the first observational confirmation of Copernicus's heliocentric theory.

Academic Career

In , Bradley was appointed Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University.

James bradley astronomer biography of albert einstein for kids It was not until Wilhelm Bessel was encouraged to do so that the complications and complexities created by such a lag were tackled. Charles-Eugene Delaunay. He was later offered the chance to return to the church and take over at the parish of Greenwich, but he rejected the offer, opting instead to devote himself to astronomy and continue at the Greenwich observatory, where he was located at the time. Bradley concluded that the phenomenon he had observed in the stars was due to the combined effect of the velocity of light and the orbital motion of the earth.

He also served as the Radcliffe Observer from to In , he became the third Astronomer Royal, succeeding Edmond Halley.

Scientific Contributions

Bradley's research focused on observational astronomy. His observations of stars led to the discovery of the nutation of the Earth's axis in This phenomenon occurs due to the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun on Earth's equatorial bulge.

Star Catalog

From to , Bradley supervised the compilation of a vast catalog of 60, stars.

This data was later used by Friedrich Bessel to create his groundbreaking star catalog in

Planetary Measurements

Bradley made precise measurements of the diameters of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. He also refined the value of the solar parallax through observations of Mars and conducted extensive research on comets.

Royal Pension and Legacy

In , Bradley was granted a royal pension.

He retired to Chalford, Gloucestershire, in and passed away there on July 13, Bradley's discoveries, including the aberration of light and the nutation of the Earth's axis, revolutionized astronomy and established him as one of the most influential scientists of his time.