ABSTRACT
Flamsteed's ideals were high, and, feeling sure as he did that with adequate instruments he could do work satisfactory to himself, it is not surprising that he chafed at the poverty of his equipment, and was disinclined to rush into print with his earlier observations. Newton had hinted at Halley being his own successor, but it was to Greenwich that Halley came after the death of Flamsteed in 1720. Bradley determined the dimensions of the apparent ellipse traced out by the earth's pole to be about 18 seconds of arc by about 16 seconds. These two famous discoveries, which assure the place of Bradley among the very first astronomers of all ages, were by no means the whole of his contribution to astronomy. Herschel subsequently discovered two satellites belonging to Uranus, and suspected four more, and remarked many new features of Saturn, including two satellites which had escaped the scrutiny of Cassini and Huyghens.
