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Simon Newcomb: America's Unofficial Astronomer Royal
In 1853, at age 18, Simon Newcomb arrived in the United States penniless, with no proven job skills, and without even a high school diploma. Fifty-six years later, in 1909, President William H. Taft attended his funeral service, and "America s Unofficial Astronomer Royal" was laid to rest with full military honors, in Arlington National Cemetery.
After graduating from Harvard University and receiving a Commission as a Professor of Mathematics, U.S. Navy (signed by President Abraham Lincoln) Newcomb: traveled the world to observe solar eclipses and a transit of Venus; supervised the construction of the world s largest aperture refracting telescope; measured the velocity of light better than anyone had before; computed the astronomical unit (distance from Earth to the Sun) to within 0.005 percent of today s value; reconciled the observed variation of latitude with theory: estimated the elasticity of Earth from the observed variation of latitude; computed the motions of the moon; and dared to suggest that the anomalous motion of Mercury may be caused by "non- gravitational" forces.
As a close friend of James A. Garfield, Newcomb convinced the doctors attending the mortally wounded President to use Alexander Graham Bell s "induction balance" to search for the assassin s bullet lodged in his abdomen. His desperate attempt to save the life of the popular young President failed, but the American people appreciated Newcomb s effort, and shared his frustration and grief.
After graduating from Harvard University and receiving a Commission as a Professor of Mathematics, U.S. Navy (signed by President Abraham Lincoln) Newcomb: traveled the world to observe solar eclipses and a transit of Venus; supervised the construction of the world s largest aperture refracting telescope; measured the velocity of light better than anyone had before; computed the astronomical unit (distance from Earth to the Sun) to within 0.005 percent of today s value; reconciled the observed variation of latitude with theory: estimated the elasticity of Earth from the observed variation of latitude; computed the motions of the moon; and dared to suggest that the anomalous motion of Mercury may be caused by "non- gravitational" forces.
As a close friend of James A. Garfield, Newcomb convinced the doctors attending the mortally wounded President to use Alexander Graham Bell s "induction balance" to search for the assassin s bullet lodged in his abdomen. His desperate attempt to save the life of the popular young President failed, but the American people appreciated Newcomb s effort, and shared his frustration and grief.
228 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2005
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