Rev. James Bradley (1673—1762)
Third Astronomer Royal (1742—1762)
Third Astronomer Royal
Born: 1693 Sherbourne, Gloucestershire, England
Died: 1762
Buried: Holy Trinity Church, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England
Astronomer Royal: 1742 - 1762
Bradley studied theology at Balliol College, Oxford between 1711—14. At
Oxford he developed an interest in astronomy, encouraged by Halley
who was professor at Oxford at the time.
It was not until 1721 that he left the church when he took up the post of
Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford. Between 1725 and 1726 he worked with
Molyneux at Molyneux's private Observatory in Kew where observations of the
apparent displacement of Gamma Draconis led him to discover aberration. Between
1727 and 1748 he made observations of the Moon, from which he discovered
nutation. In 1742 he was appointed Astronomer Royal. As well as completing his
work on the Moon observations, he studied Jupiter, specifically its diameter and
the eclipses of its satellites. Between 1748 and 1762 he made more than 60, 000
observations which were posthumously published in two volumes (one in 1798 one
in 1805).
Bradley also set about re-equipping the Observatory and bringing it up to date.
The transit instrument which Bradley put in place remained in use until replaced
by Pond in 1816.
The Bradley Meridian (the line on which the transit circle is placed) that is
used in the Ordinance Survey rather than the Airy Meridian from which Greenwich
Mean Time is measured.
