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Edmond Halley
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Edmond Halley Halley's Comet Halley, Edmond Halley, Edmond
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Edmond Halley
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Halley’s significance

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Also known as: Edmund Halley
Written by
Olin Jeuck Eggen
Senior Astronomer, Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, La Serena, Chile.
Olin Jeuck Eggen
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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Last Updated: • Article History
Quick Facts
Edmond also spelled:
Edmund
Born:
Nov. 8, 1656, Haggerston, Shoreditch, near London
Died:
Jan. 14, 1742, Greenwich, near London (aged 85)
Also Known As:
Edmund Halley
Notable Works:
“A Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets”
Subjects Of Study:
Eta Carinae
M13
Moon
Venus
astronomical unit
comet
orbit
transit
measurement
navigation
Halley’s Comet
See all related content
Halley, Edmond
Halley, EdmondEdmond Halley, detail of a mezzotint on laid paper by George White after Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1735; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Halley’s concern with practical applications of science, such as problems of navigation, reflects the influence on the Royal Society of British author Francis Bacon, who held that science should be for the “relief of man’s estate.” Though wide-ranging in his interests, Halley displayed a high degree of professional competence that foreshadowed scientific specialization. His wise assessment of Newton’s work and his persistence in guiding it to completion earned for him an important place in the emergence of Western thought.

Olin Jeuck Eggen