ASTR 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Trailing Edge, Jeremiah Horrocks, Edmond Halley
6 Sep 2016
School
Course
Professor
Document Summary
The 1639 transit of venus was observed by only two people: jeremiah horrocks near liverpool, 1761 transit was observed by hundreds of astronomers. Sudden surge of interest sparked by edmond halley (1656 1742) Halley"s most successful for his prediction of the return of halley"s comet of 1682. Paper he submitted in 1716 to the royal society in london is the reason for the transit mania. Halley observed a transit of mercury on november 7th, 1677. This was only the fourth transit of the innermost planet ever observed and first to be watched from beginning to end. Got idea to time future transits of venus and using the data to determine the au. After hiatus of 121. 5 years, venus was about to transit again june 6th, 1761. In halley"s day, dimensions of solar system were still in doubt. Kepler"s third law allowed astronomers to determine relative distance of the planets from the sun, but their absolute distance were another matter.
