William Crabtree

William Crabtree

William Crabtree (1610–1644) was an astronomer, mathematician, and merchant from Broughton, then a township near Manchester, which is now part of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. He was one of only two people to observe the first recorded transit of Venus in 1639.

Crabtree was born in the hamlet of "Broughton Spout" which was on the east bank of the River Irwell, near the area now known as "The Priory" in Broughton [Broughton and Cheetham Hill in Victorian times by Monty Dobkin ISBN 1 85216 131 0 pages 48&52] and was educated at "The Manchester School" which was probably a grammar school attached to the Manchester Collegiate Church, which later became Manchester Cathedral.journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=303461 Retrieved 2007-11-13] He married into a wealthy family and worked as a merchant in Manchester. However, in his spare time, his great interest was astronomy. He carefully measured the movements of the planets and undertook precise astronomical calculations. With improved accuracy, he rewrote the existing Rudolphine Tables of Planetary Positions.

Crabtree corresponded with Jeremiah Horrocks (who sometimes spelt his name in the Latised form as Horrox), another enthusiastic amateur astronomer, from 1636. A group of astronomers from the north of England, which included William Gascoigne, formed around them and were Britain's first followers of the astronomy of Johannes Kepler. "Nos Keplari" as the group called themselves, were distinguished as being the first people to gain a realistic notion of the solar system's size. [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/nk/birth.htm Retrieved 2007-11-13] Crabtree and Horrocks where the only astronomers to observe, plot, and record the transit of the planet Venus across the Sun, as predicted by Horrocks, on 24 November 1639 (Julian calendar, or 4 December in the Gregorian calendar). They also predicted the next occurrence on 8 June 2004. The two correspondents both recorded the event in their own homes and it is not known whether they ever met in person, but Crabtree's calculations were crucial in allowing Horrocks to estimate the size of Venus and the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Unfortunately Horrocks died early in 1641 the day before he was due to meet Crabtree. Crabtree made his will on 19 July 1644, and was buried within the precincts of the Manchester Collegiate Church on 1 August 1644, close to where he had received his education.

The recording of the transit is now seen by many as the birth of modern astronomy in Britain, [ [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1468-4004.2003.45526.x Blackwell Synergy - Cookie Absent ] ] [www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~ipswich/Observations/ToV/Horrocks.htm] and indeed, John Flamsteed later said that that the work of Horrocks and his north country colleagues laid much of the foundation upon which his work as Astronomer Royal would stand. [http://books.google.com/books?id=OH_c_21OG6MC&pg=RA1-PA75&lpg=RA1-PA75&dq=william+crabtree+and+towneley&source=web&ots=Wix1n78eow&sig=qKPzV2TlLBBakJW7xaPvAhMQgoA Retrieved 2007-11-15]

On the 9 June 2004, the day after the next transit occurred as predicted by Horrocks, a commemorative street nameplate in memory of William Crabtree was unveiled at the junction of Lower Broughton Road and Priory Grove which marks the northern boundary of Crabtree Croft. [ [http://www.salford.gov.uk/living/yourcom/salfordlife/aboutsalford/salfordlocalhistory/venustransit.htm Salford.go.uk local history] ] A commemorative plaque was unveiled a few yards away in December 2005, at Ivy Cottage 388-90 Lower Broughton Road, which is thought most likely to have been the home of Crabtree and his family at the time when he was collaborating with Horrocks [http://www.salford.gov.uk/appendix_c_the_cliff_web.pdf]

Crabtree is also celebrated in Manchester Town Hall, where a romanticised depiction of his recording of the transit can be seen in a mural (pictured) entitled "Crabtree watching the transit of Venus AD 1639" painted by the artist Ford Madox Brown in 1903.

Book

*Chapman, Allan, '"William Crabtree 1610–1644: Manchester's First Mathematician"', Allan Chapman. Manchester Statistical Society, 1996. ISBN 0-85336-132-0..

External links

*" [http://www.sil.si.edu/exhibitions/chasing-venus/intro.htm Chasing Venus, Observing the Transits of Venus] " Smithsonian Institution Libraries
* [http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/celebs/scientists1.html Manchester Science and Discovery] including William Crabtree biography* [http://www.salford.gov.uk/living/yourcom/salfordlife/aboutsalford/salfordlocalhistory/venustransit.htm William Crabtree, Venus genius]
* [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/nk/IAUVenus-Transit.pdf William Crabtree's Venus Transit Observation]
* [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/nk/birth.htm Horrocks and the Dawn of British Astronomy]
* [http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FIAU%2FIAU2004_IAUC196%2FS1743921305001225a.pdf&code=6f566725a6ba1ec69ea5704c1f57a0b3 Transits of Venus, History results and Legacy]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • William Crabtree — Crabtree beobachtet den Venustransit im Jahre 1639. Ein Wandbild im Rathaus von Manchester. William Crabtree (* 1610 in Broughton (Salford), England; † 1644) war ein englischer Astronom …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Crabtree (architect) — William Crabtree [cite web|title = The History Channel article on Crabtree|url = http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/site/encyclopedia/article show/Crabtree William 19051991 /m0033796.html? searchtermold=ice%20road%20truckers… …   Wikipedia

  • William Crabtree (astronome) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Crabtree (homonymie). William Crabtree, The Manchester Murals Mairie de Manchester William Crabtree (1610; † …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William Gascoigne (scientist) — William Gascoigne (1612 ndash; July 2, 1644) was an English astronomer, mathematician and maker of scientific instruments from Middleton near Leeds who invented the micrometer. He was one of nos Keplari a group of astronomers in the north of… …   Wikipedia

  • Crabtree — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Arthur Crabtree (1900–1975), britischer Kameramann und Filmregisseur Gerald Crabtree (* 1946), US amerikanischer Zellbiologe Herbert Grace Crabtree, englischer Biochemiker Jane Crabtree (* 1981),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Crabtree (surname) — The surname Crabtree may refer to: Arthur Crabtree (1900 1975), a British cinematographer Clyde Crabtree (1905 1994), an American college and professional football player Bill Crabtree (1915 2001), an Australian politician Don Crabtree (1912… …   Wikipedia

  • Crabtree (homonymie) — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Personnalités Arthur Crabtree Eorl Crabtree Jimmy Crabtree Michael Crabtree William Crabtree : William Crabtree (1610, 1644), un astronome anglais.… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William Gascoigne — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Gascoigne. Micromètre de Gascoigne, dessin de Robert Hooke William Gascoigne (° 1612; † …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Crabtree Falls — This article is about the waterfall in Virginia. For the waterfall in North Carolina, see Crabtree Falls (North Carolina). Crabtree Falls Crabtree Falls Location Nelson County, Virginia, USA …   Wikipedia

  • Crabtree — This interesting surname is of Anglo Saxon origin, and is topographical for one who dwelled by a wild apple tree. The name derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century crabba treow meaning a crab(apple) tree. Topographical surnames, such as this …   Surnames reference

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”