Mound of Bradlo James (Bradley James)

(1693-1762)
Born in March 1693 in Sherborne (Gloucestershire). In 1714 he graduated from the University of Oxford. The first astronomical observations were carried out under the guidance of his uncle, an experienced astronomer Dzh.Paunda. In 1718 he was elected a member of the Royal Society of London. In 1719 the church took place and received the rank of priest in Bridstau, but in 1721, after the appointment of a professor of astronomy at Oxford University, refused the church careers. From 1729 to 1760 was a lecturer in the Ashmolean Museum. After the death of E. Halley in 1742 was appointed director of the Greenwich Observatory - Royal Astronomer.
The scientific work Bradleya dedicated to observational astronomy. By measuring the displacement of one-year stars, in particular, g-star Dragon, in 1729 he came to the conclusion that the results can be explained by the orbital motion of the Earth and the finite speed of light. Opening of the aberration of light was the first observational confirmation of the Copernican theory. In 1748 Bradley presented the Royal Society of London results of their 20-year observations for yearly changes in the situation of some stars, which can be explained only by variations in the Earth's axis - nutation. Opening of the light aberration and nutation of the Earth's axis Bradleya put forward in a number of leading astronomers of modern times.

In 1750-1762 under the leadership of Bradleya implemented a major program of positional observations of 60 thousand. stars, whose results were published in 1798 and 1805. In 1818, F. Bessel used these data to create a stellar catalog. Bradley carried out measuring the diameter of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, clarified the importance of the solar parallax, conducted observations of the comet. In 1752 Bradley as the Astronomer Royal was granted a pension, and in 1761 he moved to Chelford (Gloucestershire). Bradley died in Chelforde July 13, 1762.