Hero or villain? Nevil Maskelyne’s posthumous reputation

View Hero or villain? Nevil Maskelyne’s posthumous reputation

Presenter: Rebekah Higgitt

Published: December 2012

Age: 18-22 and upwards

Views: 1201 views

Tags: astronomer

Type: Lectures

Source/institution: Royal Society


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Nevil Maskelyne, 5th Astronomer Royal and Fellow of the Royal Society, is today best known as the villain of Dava Sobel’s Longitude. This talk will, however, look further back and examine how Maskelyne has fared since his death in 1811, attempting to pinpoint when and why a more negative assessment overshadowed the positive celebration of a significant figure of British science.