Edmond Halley
He calculated the orbit of the comet that now bears his name, demonstrating the periodic nature of comets.
Most quoted
"Death, like the setting sun, is but a transition, a return to the cosmic dust from which we emerged, yet the light of our understanding can illuminate the path for those who follow."
— from Letters and scientific papers
"To understand the ebb and flow of the tides, the predictable return of a comet, is to touch upon the eternal rhythm of the universe, a comforting constant in a changing world."
— from Letters and scientific papers
"The contemplation of the heavens and the order of the universe cannot but fill the mind with a sense of the infinite and the eternal, humbling yet elevating the human spirit."
— from Letters and scientific papers
All quotes by Edmond Halley (375)
The globe of the Earth is not perfectly spherical, but spheroidal, being higher under the Equator than at the Poles.
The variation of the compass is a subject of great importance to navigation.
I have undertaken to compile a Catalogue of the Southern Stars, which are not visible in our hemisphere.
The pressure of the atmosphere is the cause of the mercury's standing at a certain height in the tube.
In the year 1456... a Comet was seen passing retrograde between the Earth and the Sun... this I take to be the same Comet as that of 1531 and 1607.
The use of the pendulum for measuring time at sea is of the utmost consequence for the improvement of navigation.
I have deduced the theory of the Moon's motion from the principle of gravitation.
The tides are caused by the attraction of the Sun and Moon.
The Sun's force is the prime agent in all the celestial motions.
Astronomy is the oldest of the sciences, and the most perfect.
The world is a great machine, created by an all-wise and powerful Architect.
The study of the heavens elevates the mind and enlarges the understanding.
We are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days on earth are a shadow.
It is the business of philosophy to find out the laws of nature from the phenomena.
The more we know, the more we discover our ignorance.
I have seen the comet of 1682, and I have calculated its orbit.
The fixed stars are not really fixed, but have their own proper motions.
The distance of the stars is so great that their annual parallax is insensible to us.
The Milky Way is nothing else but a collection of very small stars.
The Sun is the center of the planetary system, and the planets revolve around it in elliptical orbits.