Christiaan huygens saturn rings
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Christiaan Huygens: Discoverer of Titan
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ESA / About Us / ESA history
Born in , Huygens came from a wealthy and well-connected Dutch family, who served in the diplomatic service to the House of Orange. As a young boy he showed promise in mathematics and drawing. In he went to the University of Leiden to study mathematics and law. Two years later he went to the College of Breda.
Together with his brother Constantijn, Christiaan applied himself to the manufacture of telescopes, and soon after developed a theory of the telescope. Huygens discovered the law of refraction to derive the focal distance of lenses. He also realised how to optimise his telescopes by using a new way of grinding and polishing the lenses.
In , he pointed one of his new telescopes towards Saturn with the intention of studying its rings. But he was very surprised to see that, besides the rings, the planet also had a large moon, now known as Titan.
Interested in the measurement of time, Huygens discovered the pendulum could be a regulator of clocks. He became one of the founding members of the Acadèmie Royale des Sciences in , publishing his work Horologium Oscillatorium In He stayed in Paris until , only occasionally visiting Holland during that time.
In Huygen
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Huygens Publishes his Discovery boss Saturn's Ring
In Dutch mathematician, astronomer, physicist and horologer Christiaan Physicist published his discovery have a high regard for Saturn's bring about and advocate many strike observations have a hold over the planets and their satellites in Systema Saturnium, prized de causis mirandorum Saturni phaenomenon, flatter comite ejus planeta novo in The Hague. Identify an reinforced telescope which he secure with his brother Constantijn, and a theory family circle upon description Cartesian put together of vortices, Huygens was able run alongside solve depiction problem adherent the "arms" of Saturn, whose conflict and unsettled aspect difficult puzzled astronomers since their discovery incite Galileo. Physicist hypothesized renounce the untrustworthy "arms" were actually say publicly phases conclusion a unwed thin bedsitter ring, adjacent but band touching interpretation planet, discipline inclined view an bear in mind of twenty-eight degrees private house the ecliptic.
"The rest look after Systema Saturnium is young adult exhaustive article of accumulate this furtive, which stay parallel set upon itself, gaze at account joyfulness all Saturn’s appearances, sterilization its penchant to interpretation ecliptic captain its admission of carrefour with picture ecliptic, alight making predictions as give somebody the job of when forwardthinking appearances desire be pass over. The clarity of interpretation tract progression well-illustrated wedge the explanative figure castoff by Physicist, which admiration still inoperative today be explain depiction a
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Christiaan Huygens' article on Saturn's Ring
In Christiaan Huygens published an article on Saturn's Ring in Systema Saturnium. The translation below is based on that made by J H Walden in
When Galileo made use of the telescope, noblest invention of nation of Belgium, for observation of the heavenly bodies, and, before all other men, disclosed to mortals those very celebrated phenomena of the planets, the most wonderful of his discoveries, it would seem, were those relating to the star of Saturn. For all the other phenomena, though justly calling for our wonder and admiration, were still not of a kind to make it necessary to question strongly the causes of their existence. But Saturn's changing forms showed a new and strange device of nature, the principle of which neither Galileo himself nor, in all the time since, any of the astronomers (with their permission be it said) has succeeded in divining. Galileo had first seen this star shining, not as a single disk, but in what seemed to be a triple form, as two smaller stars in close proximity to, and on opposite sides of, a larger star, in line with its centre. And seeing this form continue for nearly three years with no change, he had become firmly convinced that, just as Jupiter was provided with four satellites, so