File:James_Bradley_by_Thomas_Hudson.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
OverviewAI-generated
James Bradley was an English astronomer and university teacher born in Sherborne in 1693. He was educated at Balliol College, University of Oxford, and served as a student of James Pound. Bradley held the positions of Astronomer Royal and Savilian Professor of Astronomy while employed by the University of Oxford and the Church of England. His field of work was astronomy, and he was a member of the Royal Society, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences.
Bradley received the Copley Medal and was a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was recognized in the Royal Society collection and the Copley Medal collection. His student was Nevil Maskelyne. Bradley died in Chalford on July 13, 1762. He was a male citizen of the Kingdom of Great Britain who spoke English and adhered to Anglicanism. He is described by sources including Nordisk familjebok, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, The Nuttall Encyclopædia, and the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition.
Synthesized by Vinony from 24 facts across 2 sources: Wikidata, Vinony collections. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Key facts
- Born
- September 1692, Sherborne , Gloucestershire , England
- Died
- 13 July 1762 (1762-07-13) (aged 69), Chalford , Gloucestershire , England
- Alma mater
- Balliol College, Oxford
- Known for
- Aberration of light Astronomer Royal
- Children
- 1 daughter
- Awards
- Copley Medal (1748)
- Fields
- Astronomy
- Institutions
- University of Oxford Ashmolean Museum
- Religion
- Christianity ( Anglican )
- Church
- Church of England
- Ordained
- 24 May 1719 (deacon) c. July 1719 (priest)
- Preceded by
- Edmond Halley
- Succeeded by
- Nathaniel Bliss
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- James
- Family name
- Bradley
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Kingdom of Great Britain
- Place of birth
- Sherborne
- Place of death
- Chalford
- Occupation
- university teacher
- Position held
- Savilian Professor of Astronomy
- Educated at
- University of Oxford
- Employer
- Church of England
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Religion
- Anglicanism
- Notable work
- nutation
- Doctoral advisor
- James Pound
- Field of work
- astronomy
- Image
- James Bradley by Thomas Hudson.jpg
Show 10 more facts
- member of
- Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences
- date of death
- 1762-03-13
- date of birth
- 1693-03-00
- described by source
- Granat Encyclopedic Dictionary
- Commons category
- James Bradley (astronomer)
- ethnic group
- English people
- student
- Nevil Maskelyne
- P12749
- Ralph Steinman
- relative
- James Pound
via Wikidata · CC0
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
James Bradley (September 1692 – 13 July 1762) was an English astronomer and priest who served as the third Astronomer Royal from 1742. He is best known for two fundamental discoveries in astronomy, the aberration of light (1725–1728), and the nutation of the Earth's axis (1728–1748).
These two discoveries were called "the most brilliant and useful of the century" by Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, historian of astronomy, mathematical astronomer and director of the Paris Observatory. In his History of astronomy in the 18th century (1821), Delambre stated: "It is to these two discoveries by Bradley that we owe the exactness of modern astronomy. ... This double service assures to their discoverer the most distinguished place (after Hipparchus and Kepler) above the greatest astronomers of all ages and all countries."
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “James Bradley” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.