William Ball (astronomer)
Encyclopedia
William Ball was an English
astronomer
. He was one of the founding Fellows of the Royal Society
. He was appointed the Society's first treasurer on 28 November 1660, and served until 1663.
He was the eldest son of Sir Peter Ball
and his wife Anne Cooke, daughter of William Cooke
. He became an ardent astronomer, and he gained ownership of a twelve-foot telescope. In 1655, when the Rings of Saturn
had apparently disappeared due to being seen edge-on from Earth, Ball and his brother Peter
observed them as a band (or "fascia") upon the planet. The same year he established the rotation rate of the planet Saturn
.
In 1660 he fell 30 feet onto hard ground. This accident left him in continual ill health. In 1666 he retired to his estate in Devon and in 1668 married Mary Posthuma Hussey, they raised six children. Managing his family's estate together with its distance from London left little time to follow his scientific interests.
In a summary of Ball's observations of Saturn in 1665, his colleague Robert Moray
remarked that there appeared "not one body of a Circular Figure, that embraces his Disk, but two.". This cryptic remark resulted in the mid-19th century in a claim that Ball had observed what is now known as the Cassini Division in Saturn's rings
, ten years before Cassini
did himself, and that the feature should more correctly be known as "Ball's Division". However, actual examination of Ball's drawings of his observations does not support this claim.
The crater Ball
on the Moon
was named after him.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
. He was one of the founding Fellows of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
. He was appointed the Society's first treasurer on 28 November 1660, and served until 1663.
He was the eldest son of Sir Peter Ball
Peter Ball (MP)
Sir Peter Ball was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1626 and 1640. He was attorney general to Queen Henrietta Maria....
and his wife Anne Cooke, daughter of William Cooke
William Cooke (of Highnam)
Sir William Cooke was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1614....
. He became an ardent astronomer, and he gained ownership of a twelve-foot telescope. In 1655, when the Rings of Saturn
Rings of Saturn
The rings of Saturn are the most extensive planetary ring system of any planet in the Solar System. They consist of countless small particles, ranging in size from micrometres to metres, that form clumps that in turn orbit about Saturn...
had apparently disappeared due to being seen edge-on from Earth, Ball and his brother Peter
Peter Ball (physician)
Peter Ball or Balle, M.D. , was an English physician.Ball was the third son of Sir Peter Ball of Mamhead Devon and his wife Anne Cooke, daughter of William Cooke. In 1652 he was admitted to the Middle Temple, London and called to the bar in 1657...
observed them as a band (or "fascia") upon the planet. The same year he established the rotation rate of the planet Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
.
In 1660 he fell 30 feet onto hard ground. This accident left him in continual ill health. In 1666 he retired to his estate in Devon and in 1668 married Mary Posthuma Hussey, they raised six children. Managing his family's estate together with its distance from London left little time to follow his scientific interests.
In a summary of Ball's observations of Saturn in 1665, his colleague Robert Moray
Robert Moray
Sir Robert Moray was a Scottish soldier, statesman, diplomat, judge, spy, freemason and natural philosopher. He was well known to Charles I and Charles II, and the French cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin...
remarked that there appeared "not one body of a Circular Figure, that embraces his Disk, but two.". This cryptic remark resulted in the mid-19th century in a claim that Ball had observed what is now known as the Cassini Division in Saturn's rings
Rings of Saturn
The rings of Saturn are the most extensive planetary ring system of any planet in the Solar System. They consist of countless small particles, ranging in size from micrometres to metres, that form clumps that in turn orbit about Saturn...
, ten years before Cassini
Giovanni Domenico Cassini
This article is about the Italian-born astronomer. For his French-born great-grandson, see Jean-Dominique Cassini.Giovanni Domenico Cassini was an Italian/French mathematician, astronomer, engineer, and astrologer...
did himself, and that the feature should more correctly be known as "Ball's Division". However, actual examination of Ball's drawings of his observations does not support this claim.
The crater Ball
Ball (crater)
Ball is a lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon. The formation is circular and symmetrical, and has receive little significant wear. The interior is rough-surfaced, curving downward toward the relatively wide central peak at the mid-point.The crater is...
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
was named after him.