864:
688:
224:"Hornsby, Thomas (1733â1810), astronomer, the son of Thomas Hornsby (bap. 1704, d. 1771), an apothecary and later alderman, and his wife, Thomasine Forster, nÊe Coulson (bap. 1705, d. 1775), was baptized in the parish of St Nicholas, Durham, on 27 August 1733. Hornsby died in Oxford on 11 April 1810, and was buried at St Giles' there on 19 April."
215:
His death announcement in the
Kentish Gazette 24 April 1810 quotes his death as "Wednesday (11th Apr. 1810) at the Observatory Oxford, aged 76, the Rev. Thomas Hornsby D.D. & F.R.S. Savalian Professor of Astronomy, Professor of Natural Philosophy, & Librarian of the Radcliffe
198:, both close to the modern values, whose combination of visual magnitude and large proper motion led Hornsby to argue (incorrectly) that "We may, I think, fairly conclude that Arcturus is the nearest Star to our System visible in this Hemisphere".
115:
Despite the international efforts made to observe the 1761 transit, poor weather conditions hampered observations. In 1766 Hornsby informed the Royal
Society that preparations needed to begin for the 1769 transit, his publication in the
144:(1765); a description of organising and reporting observing groups in Oxford (1769); and a comparative analysis of the 1769 transit (1771). Using the solar parallax values obtained from the 1769 transit, he wrote in
241:
152:-based value used today for the astronomical unit is 92,955,000 miles (149,597,000 km). This is only a difference of eight-tenths of one percent. The work was within the bounds of the
160:
distances to the sun, ~95 million miles and ~91 million miles respectively. These results have been described as "absolutely remarkable" considering what the astronomers had to work with.
722:
916:
790:
715:
931:
911:
708:
140:, Hornsby published a comparative analysis of 1761 transit (1763); a plan for suitable viewing stations for 1769, including possible locations in the
754:
772:
384:
906:
901:
926:
896:
731:
168:
67:
301:
219:
182:
Hornsby made tens of thousands of astronomical observations. These were not published, however, until 1932, and were donated to
94:
921:
277:
176:
596:
377:
431:
409:
401:
820:
662:
550:
183:
52:
826:
766:
449:
120:
focusing attention on the "cone of visibility" indicating some of the better places to observe the transit.
614:
566:
560:
419:
370:
101:, had spent most of his time conducting astronomical observations at Shirburn Castle; here he had built an
867:
691:
59:
23:
814:
778:
136:
296:
644:
328:
172:
148:
December 1771 that "the mean distance from the Earth to the Sun (is) 93,726,900 English miles." The
620:
124:
784:
748:
497:
491:
306:
Stephen
Johnston, "Blast from the Past: Measurement and morals in the early Transits of Venus,"
270:
167:
at Oxford in 1772, and was made
Radcliffe Observer in the same year. In 1782, he was appointed
626:
515:
164:
700:
891:
886:
608:
485:
311:
90:
8:
509:
802:
351:
863:
808:
687:
602:
527:
503:
479:
187:
63:
355:
850:
521:
437:
347:
343:
202:
128:
74:
838:
832:
742:
584:
78:
28:
674:
650:
443:
880:
760:
668:
632:
578:
539:
467:
191:
109:
40:
844:
590:
455:
425:
638:
572:
533:
102:
86:
82:
108:
On the 1st April 1764 Hornsby observed the partial phases of an annular
656:
461:
157:
98:
36:
362:
195:
186:
in 1935. They include a determination of the rate of change of the
153:
141:
32:
730:
149:
73:
Hornsby was especially concerned with the observation of the
206:
312:
http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/phystat05/Talks/johnston.ppt
242:"Observations on the Eclipse of the Sun, April 1, 1764"
308:
Museum of the
History of Science, University of Oxford
163:
Hornsby was instrumental in the establishment of the
917:
Fellows of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
251:
175:. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the
77:. In 1761, he observed the transit of Venus from
878:
123:Hornsby himself viewed the 1769 transit at the
118:Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
716:
378:
329:"Transits of Venus and the Astronomical Unit"
723:
709:
385:
371:
932:Sedleian Professors of Natural Philosophy
912:Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
732:Sedleian Professors of Natural Philosophy
169:Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy
68:Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy
66:from 1763. In the same year, he became
392:
323:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
271:"Book of Members, 1780â2010: Chapter H"
220:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
95:George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield
879:
704:
366:
326:
278:American Academy of Arts and Sciences
257:
177:American Academy of Arts and Sciences
16:British astronomer and mathematician
907:19th-century British mathematicians
902:18th-century British mathematicians
263:
13:
97:(ca. 1695â1764), celebrated as an
14:
943:
927:Savilian Professors of Astronomy
897:18th-century British astronomers
862:
686:
327:Teets, Donald (December 2003).
348:10.1080/0025570X.2003.11953207
234:
184:Corpus Christi College, Oxford
53:Corpus Christi College, Oxford
1:
827:George Frederick James Temple
922:Fellows of the Royal Society
302:History of transit observing
297:Thomas Harriot's manuscripts
7:
868:University of Oxford portal
692:University of Oxford portal
105:and a chemical laboratory.
60:Savilian Chair of Astronomy
51:Hornsby became a Fellow of
10:
948:
815:Augustus Edward Hough Love
227:
137:Philosophical Transactions
860:
738:
684:
645:Edward Charles Titchmarsh
549:
408:
398:
146:Philosophical Transitions
621:Henry John Stephen Smith
125:Tower of the Five Orders
222:gives this information:
46:
627:James Joseph Sylvester
400:Chairs established by
171:. In 1783, he became
127:, the entrance to the
190:of the Earth and the
165:Radcliffe Observatory
639:Godfrey Harold Hardy
336:Mathematics Magazine
314:(accessed July 2006)
209:is named after him.
91:Earl of Macclesfield
551:Savilian Professors
410:Savilian Professors
393:Savilian Professors
173:Radcliffe Librarian
31:â 11 April 1810 in
803:George Leigh Cooke
134:In the periodical
874:
873:
809:Bartholomew Price
767:Thomas Millington
698:
697:
603:Abraham Robertson
528:George Efstathiou
504:Charles Pritchard
480:Abraham Robertson
188:axial inclination
64:Oxford University
939:
866:
851:Jonathan Keating
791:Benjamin Wheeler
725:
718:
711:
702:
701:
690:
522:Donald Blackwell
438:Christopher Wren
402:Sir Henry Savile
387:
380:
373:
364:
363:
359:
333:
289:
288:
286:
284:
275:
267:
261:
255:
249:
248:
246:
238:
129:Bodleian Library
75:transit of Venus
58:He occupied the
35:) was a British
26:
947:
946:
942:
941:
940:
938:
937:
936:
877:
876:
875:
870:
856:
839:Brooke Benjamin
833:Albert E. Green
781: (1719/20)
743:Edward Lapworth
734:
729:
699:
694:
680:
585:Nathaniel Bliss
552:
545:
420:John Bainbridge
411:
404:
394:
391:
331:
318:Kentish Gazette
293:
292:
282:
280:
273:
269:
268:
264:
256:
252:
244:
240:
239:
235:
230:
223:
217:
79:Shirburn Castle
49:
22:
17:
12:
11:
5:
945:
935:
934:
929:
924:
919:
914:
909:
904:
899:
894:
889:
872:
871:
861:
858:
857:
855:
854:
848:
842:
836:
830:
824:
821:Sydney Chapman
818:
812:
806:
800:
797:Thomas Hornsby
794:
788:
787: (1746/7)
782:
779:Charles Bertie
776:
770:
764:
758:
752:
746:
739:
736:
735:
728:
727:
720:
713:
705:
696:
695:
685:
682:
681:
679:
678:
675:Frances Kirwan
672:
666:
663:Richard Taylor
660:
654:
651:Michael Atiyah
648:
642:
636:
630:
624:
618:
612:
609:Stephen Rigaud
606:
600:
594:
588:
582:
576:
570:
564:
557:
555:
547:
546:
544:
543:
537:
531:
525:
519:
516:Harry Plaskett
513:
510:Herbert Turner
507:
501:
498:William Donkin
495:
492:George Johnson
489:
486:Stephen Rigaud
483:
477:
474:Thomas Hornsby
471:
465:
459:
453:
447:
444:Edward Bernard
441:
435:
429:
423:
416:
414:
406:
405:
399:
396:
395:
390:
389:
382:
375:
367:
361:
360:
342:(5): 335â348.
324:
321:
315:
304:
299:
291:
290:
262:
260:, p. 347.
250:
232:
231:
229:
226:
48:
45:
20:Thomas Hornsby
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
944:
933:
930:
928:
925:
923:
920:
918:
915:
913:
910:
908:
905:
903:
900:
898:
895:
893:
890:
888:
885:
884:
882:
869:
865:
859:
852:
849:
846:
843:
840:
837:
834:
831:
828:
825:
822:
819:
816:
813:
810:
807:
804:
801:
798:
795:
792:
789:
786:
785:Joseph Browne
783:
780:
777:
774:
771:
768:
765:
762:
761:Thomas Willis
759:
756:
755:Joshua Crosse
753:
750:
747:
744:
741:
740:
737:
733:
726:
721:
719:
714:
712:
707:
706:
703:
693:
689:
683:
676:
673:
670:
669:Nigel Hitchin
667:
664:
661:
658:
655:
652:
649:
646:
643:
640:
637:
634:
633:William Esson
631:
628:
625:
622:
619:
616:
613:
610:
607:
604:
601:
598:
595:
592:
589:
586:
583:
580:
579:Edmond Halley
577:
574:
571:
568:
565:
562:
559:
558:
556:
554:
548:
541:
540:Steven Balbus
538:
535:
532:
529:
526:
523:
520:
517:
514:
511:
508:
505:
502:
499:
496:
493:
490:
487:
484:
481:
478:
475:
472:
469:
468:James Bradley
466:
463:
460:
457:
454:
451:
450:David Gregory
448:
445:
442:
439:
436:
433:
430:
427:
424:
421:
418:
417:
415:
413:
407:
403:
397:
388:
383:
381:
376:
374:
369:
368:
365:
357:
353:
349:
345:
341:
337:
330:
325:
322:
320:24 April 1810
319:
316:
313:
309:
305:
303:
300:
298:
295:
294:
279:
272:
266:
259:
254:
243:
237:
233:
225:
221:
214:
210:
208:
204:
199:
197:
193:
192:proper motion
189:
185:
180:
178:
174:
170:
166:
161:
159:
155:
151:
147:
143:
139:
138:
132:
130:
126:
121:
119:
113:
111:
110:solar eclipse
106:
104:
100:
96:
92:
88:
84:
80:
76:
71:
69:
65:
61:
56:
54:
44:
42:
41:mathematician
38:
34:
30:
25:
21:
853: (2019)
847: (1996)
845:John M. Ball
841: (1979)
835: (1968)
829: (1953)
823: (1946)
817: (1899)
811: (1853)
805: (1810)
799: (1782)
796:
793: (1767)
775: (1704)
773:James Fayrer
769: (1675)
763: (1660)
757: (1648)
751: (1638)
749:John Edwards
745: (1621)
677: (2017)
671: (1997)
665: (1995)
659: (1969)
653: (1963)
647: (1931)
641: (1919)
635: (1897)
629: (1883)
623: (1861)
617: (1827)
615:Baden Powell
611: (1810)
605: (1797)
599: (1766)
593: (1765)
591:Joseph Betts
587: (1742)
581: (1704)
575: (1649)
569: (1631)
567:Peter Turner
563: (1619)
561:Henry Briggs
542: (2012)
536: (1999)
530: (1994)
524: (1960)
518: (1932)
512: (1893)
506: (1870)
500: (1842)
494: (1839)
488: (1827)
482: (1810)
476: (1763)
473:
470: (1721)
464: (1712)
458: (1709)
456:John Caswell
452: (1691)
446: (1673)
440: (1661)
434: (1649)
428: (1642)
426:John Greaves
422: (1620)
412:of Astronomy
339:
335:
317:
307:
281:. Retrieved
265:
253:
236:
212:
211:
200:
181:
162:
145:
135:
133:
122:
117:
114:
107:
72:
57:
50:
19:
18:
892:1810 deaths
887:1733 births
573:John Wallis
553:of Geometry
534:Joseph Silk
201:The crater
131:in Oxford.
103:observatory
83:Oxfordshire
881:Categories
657:Ioan James
597:John Smith
462:John Keill
258:Teets 2003
158:perihelion
99:astronomer
37:astronomer
432:Seth Ward
216:Library."
179:in 1788.
55:in 1760.
27:(1733 in
356:54867823
196:Arcturus
154:aphelion
283:28 July
228:Sources
205:on the
203:Hornsby
142:Pacific
89:of the
354:
85:, the
33:Oxford
29:Durham
352:S2CID
332:(PDF)
310:, at
274:(PDF)
245:(PDF)
150:radar
81:, in
285:2014
218:The
213:N.B.
207:Moon
156:and
87:seat
47:Life
39:and
344:doi
194:of
93:.
62:at
24:FRS
883::
350:.
340:76
338:.
334:.
276:.
112:.
70:.
43:.
724:e
717:t
710:v
386:e
379:t
372:v
358:.
346::
287:.
247:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.