The Transit of Venus: The Brief, Brilliant Life of Jeremiah Horrocks, Father of British Astronomy

by Peter Aughton

There is a missing chapter in the history of astronomy—between the work of Galileo and Newton—and it is a chapter that belongs to England. In the period before the English Civil War, Horrocks was the greatest astronomer in the kingdom. He knew the positions and motions of the planets more accurately than any person of his time, and was the first to appreciate the true scale of the solar system and formulate a valid theory for the wanderings of the moon. Yet he was not an elderly grey-bearded sage, but a young man living in provincial obscurity, who on his death had barely come of age but who left a great scientific legacy.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Science, Astronomy, History, History Of Science, Physics

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Michal Paszkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book may propagate well debunked myths and exaggerate and draw out the life of a rather unknown astronomer, it proves very readable. It gives a lot of detail about Horrocks, his life which was cut so short, and his achievements which certainly were impressive for such a short lifespan.

[Rajendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story of a very brief life of an astronomer of the seventeenth century. His achievements before his untimely demise at the age of 22 leaves one spell-bound. As the author says if Newton had not survived beyond this age (God forbid!) he would be practically unknown.

Though the book is strictly a biography, it contains enough scientific details to make it enjoyable to anyone interested in astronomy. The only problem is the language. The book reproduces passages written in old English that are difficult to follow. A delightful book otherwise.

Edit after second reading: I also noticed some editing mistakes that I missed

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject is relatively interesting (though doing a biography of a dude who died at 21 and whose papers were mostly lost is...bold) but the writer is not very good. His opening paragraph is confusing because he doesn't mention the year. There are weird, awkward sentences. The author quotes large chunks of 17th century scientific prose instead of paraphrasing. More figures and a more creative explanation process probably would have helped.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in my christmas break science trilogy. This is an introduction to the remarkable astronomer Jerremiah Horrocks who is rightly remembered as the father of British astronomy. One might even drop the adjective "British." It is sobering to think that if Isaac Newton (who acknowledged his debt to Horrocks) had died as young as Horrocks, we would know nothing of him and he would have contributed nothing to science.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had not heard of Horrocks before. He did a lot in an incredibly short life. It does make you wonder what he would have accomplished if he had lived.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must read for those who like to believe that history is not necessarily all about heroes

[Sinisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for someone interested in history of astronomy. Anyone else would probably find it boring.