The Flamsteed Lecture
5 December 2012
Details
- Date: Wednesday 5 December
- Time: 6.30pm
- Venue: The Courtroom, Kedleston Road site, DE22 1GB.
In the Footsteps of Flamsteed
In a joint lecture, Dr Mike Lancaster, Derby and District Astronomical Society and Jonathan Wallis, Assistant Head of Derby Museums explore the significance of the eponymous Flamsteed.
Dr Mike Lancaster invites you to follow the life and work of John Flamsteed, first Astronomer Royal, who under the patronage of King Charles II set up the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and compiled a catalogue of nearly 3000 stars with unprecedented accuracy.
The lecture will examine Flamsteed's Derbyshire beginnings and his meteoric rise in the scientific community, culminating in his Royal appointment. His tireless and stubborn quest for perfection which would later lead him into conflict with Isaac Newton and Edmund Halley will be discussed.
Finally the lecture will look at how his widow ensured the proper publication of his scientific work including the Atlas Coelestis. A copy of this beautifully illustrated star atlas was recently purchased by Derby Museums and is now on public display for the first time. Jonathan Wallis, Assistant Head of Museums will describe the purchase of the book and its contribution to the museum's collection, to the Enlightenment and to the city of Derby today.
