, a learned astronomer, and member of most of the learned societies
, a learned astronomer, and member of most of the learned societies of Europe, was born
in 1720, at Chemnitz, in Hungary, and first educated at
Neusol. Having in 1738 entered the society of the Jesuits,
he was sent by them to the college of Vienna, where, during his philosophical studies, he displayed a genius for
mechanics, and employed his leisure hours in constructing
water-clocks, terrestrial and celestial globes, and other
machines. In 1744 and 1745 he studied mathematics, now
become his favourite pursuit, under the celebrated Froelich, and not only assisted Franz, the astronomer of the
Jesuits’ observatory, in his labours, but also in arranging
the museum for experimental philosophy. At the same
time he published a new edition of Crevellius’s “Arithmetica numeralis et literalis,
” as a text-book. In Adjumentum memoriae manuale Chronologicogenealogico-historicum,
” which has since been translated
into various languages, and of which an enlarged edition
appeared in 1774. In 1751 and 1752 he obtained the
priesthood, completed his academical degrees, and was
appointed professor of mathematics at Clausenburg. Here
he published his “Elementa Arithmetical 1 for the use of
his pupils, and had prepared other works, when he was,
in Sept. 175
”2, invited to Vienna, and appointed astronomer and director of the new observatory, in the building
of which he assisted, and made it one of the first in Europe,
both as to construction and apparatus. From 1757 to 1767
he devoted himself entirely to astronomical observations
and calculations for the “Ephemerides,
” each volume of
which, published annually, contained evident proofs of his
assiduity. About the same time he published a small work,
entitled “An Introduction towards the useful employment
of Artificial Magnets.
”
, a learned astronomer and mathematician, was born in 1665 at Perinaldo
, a learned astronomer and mathematician, was born in 1665 at Perinaldo in the county of Nice, a place already honoured by the birth of his maternal uncle, the celebrated Cassini. Having made a considerable progress in mathematics, at the age of twentytwo his uncle, who had been a long time settled in France, invited him there, that he might himself cultivate the promising genius of his nephew. Maraldi no sooner applied himself to the contemplation of the heavens, than he conceived the design of forming a catalogue of the fixed stars, the foundation of the whole astronomical edifice. In consequence of this design, he applied himself to observe them with the most constant attention; and he became by this means so intimate with them, that on being shown any one of them, however small, he could immediately tell what constellation it belonged to, and its place in that constellation. He has been known to discover those small comets, which astronomers often take for the stars of the constellation in which they are seen, for want of knowing precisely what stars the constellation consists f, when others, on the spot, and with eyes directed equally to the same part of the heavens, could not for a long time see any thing of them.