Leonard Digges (scientist)

Leonard Digges
Bornc.1515
Diedc.1559, aged 44
Parent(s)James Digges, Philippe Engham

Leonard Digges (c.1515 – c.1559) was a well-known English mathematician and surveyor, credited with the invention of the theodolite, and a great populariser of science through his writings in English on surveying, cartography, and military engineering. His birth date is variously suggested as c.1515[1] or c.1520 (but certainly by 1530).[2]

Much of his work was expanded on, annotated, and published by his son, Thomas Digges.[2] His son followed in his footsteps and was a pivotal player in the popularisation of Copernicus's book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. Notes written by Thomas Digges in the publication of the book Pantometria in 1570 contain descriptions of how Leonard Digges made use of a "proportional Glass" to view distant objects and people. Some, such as astronomer and historian Colin Ronan, claim this describes a reflecting or refracting telescope built between 1540 and 1559, but its vague description and claimed performance makes it dubious.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Johnston 2004.
  2. ^ a b Van Helden, Al (1995). "Digges, Leonard". The Galileo Project. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  3. ^ Satterthwaite, Gilbert (2002). "Did the reflecting telescope have English origins?". The Digges Telescope. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  4. ^ Ronan, Colin A. (1991). "Leonard and Thomas Digges". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 101 (6). Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  5. ^ Watson, Fred (13 June 2006). Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope. London: Allen & Unwin. pp. 38–43. ISBN 9780306814839.