Christiaan huygens brief biography example
Scientist of the Day - Christiaan Huygens
Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch astronomer, mathematical physicist, and inventor, was born Apr. 14, 1629. Four years ago, we wrote a post on Huygens in which we celebrated his invention of the pendulum clock, the first clock accurate enough for astronomical purposes. and possibly for helping solve the longitude problem. Today we focus on Huygens the astronomer, and his proposed solution to the problem of Saturn.
Portrait of Christiaan Huygens, by Caspar Netscher, 1671, in the Haags Historisch Museum (Wikimedia commons)
Saturn had mystified astronomers armed with telescopes ever since Galileo observed the planet in 1612. At first, Saturn revealed what looked like two small moons on either side. And then, the next time Galileo looked, it had no companions at all. Later observers noted what they termed ears on Saturn, and "anses" (handles). Huygens pictorially summarized previous observations of Saturn with a folding plate (first image) in his Systema saturnium (1659), a handsome copy of which we have in our Library (third image, just below).
Titlepage, Christiaan Huygens, Systema saturnium, 1659 (Linda Hall Library)
Huygens first tackled the problem of Saturn in 1655, when he was only 26 years old, and he soon had a proposed solution – Saturn must be surrounded by a ring that is tilted with respect to the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun through the heavens (or the path of the Earth, if you are a Copernican, which Huygens was). Not yet ready to write a book about Saturn, but wanting to ensure his priority, he published his solution in the form of an anagram in a book by another author in 1656.
Huygen’s proposed model of Saturn with a ring, woodcut, Christiaan Huygens, Systema saturnium, 1659 (Linda Hall Library)
When his System of Saturn was published three years later, everything was explained. Huygens provided a drawing of a ringed Saturn (fourth image, above Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens not only proposed the earliest theory about the nature of light, he also put optics to good use when he turned a telescope toward Saturn and observed that its odd blob-like shape — Galileo had first seen the shape in a telescope and drew it in his notebook as something like ears on the planet — was in fact caused by rings. Working as an astronomer, physicist, mathematician and inventor, Huygens made a number of important contributions to science. [See also our overview of Famous Astronomers and great scientists from many fields who have worked in astronomy.] Born at the Hague in the Netherlands in 1629, Huygens was the child of an important family. He studied at home under private tutors and, through his father, interacted with prominent visitors such as French philosopher and mathematician RenéDescartes. He studied law and mathematics at the University of Leiden, and then at the College of Orange at Breda. In 1663, he was elected a member of the Royal Society, a newly formed scientific academy (which is still in existence today) aimed at improving the knowledge of science. Huygens was a contemporary of fellow member Sir Isaac Newton, whose research he respected although he at times disagreed with the prominent physicist. Huygens was sickly throughout his life. He died in 1695, at the age of 66, at the Hague. Early publications by Huygens focused on mathematical problems, but in 1654 he turned his attention to the telescope. With the help of his brother, he came up with a better method of grinding and polishing the lenses, providing greater clarity. He turned one of his improved telescopes toward the planet Saturn, which had shown an elongated appearance in less accurate observations. Huygens determined that the distorted planet boasted several rings. Although his finding was initially not well received, further observations con Dutch mathematician and physicist (1629–1695) For the ocean liner, see MS Christiaan Huygens. Christiaan Huygens, Lord of Zeelhem, FRS (HY-gənz,HOY-gənz;Dutch:[ˈkrɪstijaːnˈɦœyɣə(n)s]; also spelled Huyghens; Latin: Hugenius; 14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor who is regarded as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution. In physics, Huygens made seminal contributions to optics and mechanics, while as an astronomer he studied the rings of Saturn and discovered its largest moon, Titan. As an engineer and inventor, he improved the design of telescopes and invented the pendulum clock, the most accurate timekeeper for almost 300 years. A talented mathematician and physicist, his works contain the first idealization of a physical problem by a set of mathematicalparameters, and the first mathematical and mechanistic explanation of an unobservable physical phenomenon. Huygens first identified the correct laws of elastic collision in his work De Motu Corporum ex Percussione, completed in 1656 but published posthumously in 1703. In 1659, Huygens derived geometrically the formula in classical mechanics for the centrifugal force in his work De vi Centrifuga, a decade before Isaac Newton. In optics, he is best known for his wave theory of light, which he described in his Traité de la Lumière (1690). His theory of light was initially rejected in favour of Newton's corpuscular theory of light, until Augustin-Jean Fresnel adapted Huygens's principle to give a complete explanation of the rectilinear propagation and diffraction effects of light in 1821. Today this principle is known as the Huygens–Fresnel principle. Huygens invented the pendulum clock in 1657, which he patented the same year. His horological research resulted in an extensive analysis of the pend Christiaan Huygens (April 14, 1629-July 8, 1695), a Dutch natural scientist, was one of the great figures of the scientific revolution. While his best-known invention is the pendulum clock, Huygens is remembered for a wide range of inventions and discoveries in the fields of physics, mathematics, astronomy, and horology. In addition to creating the influential timekeeping device, Huygens discovered the shape of Saturn's rings, the moon Titan, the wave theory of light, and the formula for centripetal force. Fun Fact: Huygens tended to publish long after making his discoveries. He wanted to make certain his work was correct before submitting it to his peers. Did You Know? Huygens believed life might be possible on other planets. In "Cosmotheoros," he wrote that the key to extraterrestrial life was the presence of water on other planets. Christiaan Huygens was born on April 14, 1629, in The Hague, Netherlands, to Constantijn Huygens and Suzanna van Baerle. His father was a wealthy diplomat, poet, and musician. Constantijn educated Christiaan at home until he was 16 years old. Christiaan's liberal education included math, geography, logic, and languages, as well as music, horse ridi
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