Jeremiah Horrocks

         

Born in 1619 and dying at the young age of 22, Jeremiah Horrocks was the first astronomer after Tycho Brahe, Galileo and Kepler who influenced the astronomical revolution that was going on in England during his lifetime. His discoveries for the field of astronomy included the moons elliptical orbit as well as the transit of Venus. His discovery of the moon's orbit was a product of Kepler's 3 laws of planetary motion. Using Kepler's prediction that Venus would transit the sun in 1631, Horrocks was able to calculate that Venus would transit again in 8 years from its last passing. After this discovery in 1632, Horrocks studied at the University of Cambridge and became a tutor at Toxteth so he would have more spare time to study astronomy. His discovery regarding the transit of Venus in 1631 would soon be known as a uniform characteristic of Venus. To prove his prediction, Jeremiah Horrocks prepared for the predicted transit by making a makeshift telescope with which he could measure the distance the planet made its way across the sun. Horrocks made these calculations 3 times at roughly 15 minutes apart and, from these measurements, he was able to calculate the orbit of Venus. 

        Horrocks' discoveries made a huge impact on the future of astronomy and mathematics. his discovery of the Moon's ecliptic orbit paved the way for the Newtonian Revolution. Without them, the world as we know it would have developed in the fields of science and technology at a much slower pace.