Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aas...21530401f&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #215, #304.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.301
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
John Goodricke (1764-1786) is one of the most intriguing and enigmatic figures in the history of astronomy. Deaf from the age of five, his observations of the light variation of Algol brought him acclaim and the Copley Medal of the Royal Society by the age of nineteen. Together with his neighbor, mentor, and distant relative Edward Pigott, he went on to discover and quantify the light variations of other stars, including Delta Cephei. Goodricke's careful accounts of his observations, and their accuracy, remain a model of clear scientific thinking and reporting. Goodricke's career was short, as was his time on Earth: he died before his 22nd birthday. He left few personal notes or letters, and even many basic circumstances of his life have been misunderstood or misinterpreted. I will discuss Goodricke's apparent change of mind regarding the variations of Algol. I will further describe recent research into his family circumstances and into the allegation advanced by Zdenek Kopal in the 1980s that Goodricke was buried apart from his family because they were ashamed of his deafness.
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