Goodricke,Pigott and the Quest for Variable Stars

Bullialdus Ismael , Ad astronomos monita duo (Paris, 1667), Monitum primum: De stella mirabili quae in Collo Ceti conspicitur. On variables in the seventeenth century, see the present writer's “Novae and variables from Tycho to Bullialdus”, Sudhoffs Archiv, lxi (1977), 195–204.

G. Montanari's letter to the Royal Society in 1670 claiming he had observed changes in a hundred stars (Philosophical transactions, vi (1671), 2202) made a deep impression.

[ Halley E. ], “A short history of the several new-stars that have appear'd within these 150 years …”, Philosophical transactions, xxix (1714–16), 354–6.

On Pigott Nathaniel , see the articles in Dictionary of national biography (by Agnes Clerke) and Dictionary of scientific biography (by Zdeněk Kopal). The DSB article must be used with caution; in particular it overlooks the important paper by Melmore Sidney , “Nathaniel Pigott's observatory 1781–1793”, Annals of science, ix (1953), 281–6. That Pigott moved to York in 1780 is established by statements in the letter of 9 June 1781 from Edward Pigott to William Herschel, Royal Astronomical Society Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.27; indeed, Nathaniel Pigott wrote to Maskelyne from York on 23 May 1780 (copy in Nathaniel Pigott MSS, North Yorkshire County Council). Nathaniel Pigott tells Herschel of his intention to remain in York for life in his letter of 17 June 1782, Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.43.

Melmore , op. cit., 285–6.

Pigott to Herschel William , 17 June 1782; Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.43. On 27 August 1777 Thomas Sisson sent Pigott a model of the well-equipped observatory of the noted amateur, Alexander Aubert (his accompanying letter is in the Royal Astronomical Society archives, Pigott 75).

On Pigott Edward , see the articles in Dictionary of national biography (by Agnes Clerke) and Dictionary of scientific biography (by Zdeněk Kopal).

Witness his elaborate article on “The latitude and longitude of York determined from a variety of astronomical observations”, Philosophical transactions, lxxvi (1786), 409–25.

In the back of his First astronomical journal (Edward Pigott MSS, North Yorkshire County Council (hereafter: EP MSS)) he had already listed stellar positions as given by Tycho and Flamsteed in the hope of deriving “a particular motion in any of the fixt stars”, and in his letter to Herschel of 16 February 1783 he says “My time has also been much taken up in making observ^ns for determining the proper motion of several stars” (Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.29).

Pigott , First astronomical journal, entries for 12 April 1778 et seq.

Original in Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.29.

Pigott Edward to Herschel William , 9 June 1781; Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.27. See also Pigott's Transit book (EP MSS).

See his Transit book, 23.

See Pigott's First astronomical journal. The period when he combed the literature is indicated by the parallels between these notes and the entries about the beginning of November 1781 in his main Journal (EP MSS).

The Kirch drawing he takes from Miscellanea berolinensia, i (1710), 210.

Pigott , Journal, 112.

“1778. John Goodricke, York. Son to Henry Goodricke, Esq., M.P. He lost his hearing by a fever when an infant, and was consequently dumb; but having in part conquered this disadvantage by the assistance of Mr Braidwood, he made surprising proficiency, becoming a very tolerable classic, and an excellent mathematician…. He fell a victim to his favourite study in 1785 [recte: 1786], in consequence of a cold from exposure to night-air in astronomical observatories.” ( Turner William , The Warrington Academy (Warrington, 1957; reprinted from the Monthly repository, 1813–15), 75.) On John Goodricke, see Gilman Carolyn , “John Goodricke and his variable stars”, Sky and telescope, lvi (1978), 400–3, which supersedes the articles in Dictionary of national biography and Dictionary of scientific biography ; Melmore Sidney , “The site of John Goodricke's observatory”, Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, lxix (1949), 95–99; and [anon.] “John Goodricke”, ibid., xxxv (1912), 435–6 [on the Goodricke portrait now in the possession of the ras].

Goodricke J. , Journal of astronomical observations begun in Nov^r 1781 (John Goodricke MSS, North Yorkshire County Council (hereafter: JG MSS)), 1. The first thirty pages of this Journal, covering the period to 23 January 1783, have been transcribed from “my old Journal”, which does not survive.

Pigott to Herschel , 16 February 1783; Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.29.

Goodricke , Journal, 47.

Letter from Sir Henry Englefield dated 27 November ( Pigott , Journal, 124).

Goodricke , Journal , 6. He quickly bought two more eyepieces from Dolland (ibid., 10) but they were not a success.

Ibid., 9.

Ibid., 22.

A copy of the map in Pigott's hand is among the Goodricke MSS.

Goodricke , Journal, 7.

Ibid., 16–18.

Ibid., 19–20.

Pigott , Journal, 171.

Ibid., 176.

Goodricke , Journal, 24–25. The similarity of the phraseology indicates that Goodricke made this entry with Pigott's note before him.

Ibid., 28.

“Mr E. Pigott has made dilijent researches from what Montanari & Maraldi has observed concer^g Algol … but it was only a general & vague information” ( Goodricke , Journal , 42). “P.S. I should have sent you this sooner if I had not been waiting till the last week for the above account of what Montanari & Maraldi had observed concerning this star” (appended by Goodricke to the paper sent to Dr A. Shepherd for publication in Philosophical transactions; copy in his hand, JG MSS).

Original in Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.29.

“… probably D^r Maskelyne in consequence of my desire, has acquainted you with the phenomenon attending Algol” (Pigott to Herschel, 2 May 1783; Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.30).

Herschel W. , “Observations upon Algol” (manuscript copies in the library of the Royal Society and in Herschel MSS, W.4/9; printed in The scientific papers of Sir William Herschel, ed. by Dreyer J. L. E. (London, 1912), i, pp. cvii–cviii).

Letters from Banks to Herschel; Herschel MSS, W.1/13.B.6–8.

Copy in Herschel's Letter-book, Herschel MSS, W.1/1, 78–79.

See his MS copy, JG MSS.

Pigott and Goodricke observed together on 13 April ( Goodricke , Journal, 39), and Pigott returned to York on 7 June ( Pigott , Transit book, 46); he had written to Herschel from London on 2 May (Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.30). No doubt Pigott had searched out the Montanari and Maraldi references in London libraries.

Goodricke John , “A series of observations on, and a discovery of, the period of the variation of the light of the bright star in the Head of Medusa, called Algol”, Philosophical transactions, lxxiii (1783), 474–82, p. 482.

Dictionary of scientific biography, v (New York, 1972), 468.

See ref. 36.

Copy in Herschel's Letter-book, Herschel MSS, W.1/1, 80–82. On 28 July 1783, Caroline Herschel noted in her Book of observations (Herschel MSS, C.1/1.1): “I saw Algol eclipsed….” It may be noted that William Herschel as early as 19 October 1779 had consider ed “a planet of a very extraordinary size in the system of worlds, round which a Sun … may move in about a years time” in order to explain variations in brightness in Mira Ceti (as in its supposed orbit it approached to and receded from the observer) (ibid., W.4/1.1, f.32).

Goodricke John , “On the period of the changes of light in the star Algol”, Philosophical transactions, lxxiv (1784), 287–92.

Draft in JG MSS.

Goodricke , Journal, 49.

Ibid., 93.

In the pleasant phrase of Pigott Nathaniel , letter to Maskelyne, May 1784 (N. Pigott MSS, North Yorkshire County Council, “Mathematical correspondence 1783, 1784, 1786”).

Goodricke , Journal, 40.

Pigott , Journal, 311.

A convenient source for knowledge of variable stars at the beginning of the present century is Gore J. E. , The stellar heavens (London, 1903), chap. 3.

In his major survey, “Observations and remarks on those stars which the astronomers of the last century suspected to be changeable”, Philosophical transactions, lxvi (1786), 189–219; see p. 196.

As shown by scraps of dated observations, EP MSS.

Quoted from a scrap of a draft letter, EP MSS.

“M^r Goodricke informs us, that he is very happy in London, and mentions the polite reception at Greenwich and the civilities he received from you with great pleasure” (letter of N. Pigott to Maskelyne, 2 April 1784; N. Pigott MSS, “Mathematical correspondence 1783, 1784, 1786”). Goodricke makes public acknowledgement to Maskelyne at the beginning of his paper on δ Cephei, “A series of observations on, and a discovery of, the period of the variation of the light of the star marked δ by Bayer, near the Head of Cepheus”, Philosophical transactions, lxxvi (1786), 48–61. Maskelyne , in writing to N. Pigott on 22 April 1784, remarks: “I am glad that M^r Goodricke applies himself so much to his studies, which may in time enable him to distinguish himself in the mathematical as well as philosophical world” (original in Royal Astronomical Society archives, Pigott 58).

Goodricke , Journal, 79.

Goodricke John , “Observations of a new variable star”, Philosophical transactions, lxxv (1785), 153–64.

Ibid., 163; the draft in the Goodricke MSS shows the last phrase to be an afterthought.

Draft, JG MSS.

Pigott Edward , “Observations on a new variable star”, Philosophical transactions, lxxv (1785), 127–36, p. 127.

Ibid., 134.

Ibid., 134–5.

Goodricke , Journal, 94.

Ibid.

Goodricke , op. cit. (ref. 56), 60–61.

Goodricke to Herschel , 17 January 1785; Herschel MSS, W.1/13.G.14.

As shown by the collected observations at the back of his Journal.

See ref. 17.

Op. cit. (ref. 53).

Ibid., 215.

Cited above, ref. 8.

On which they separately reported in Philosophical transactions, lxxvi (1786), 384–8 and 389.

Pigott E. , op. cit. (ref. 8), 424.

Pigott , Journal, 337.

Their movements are shown by the place entries in Edward's Journal.

The loss “took away the pleasure I ever had in astronomical pursuits, until revived again by accidentally seeing a Comet” on 14 January (Transit book, 77). Shortly before his mother's death, Edward had come across a copy of Thomas Wright's An original theory or new hypothesis of the universe (London, 1750), and it is interesting that he studied it closely (unlike William Herschel) and concluded: “the whole of this book is replete with new matter & luminous thoughts” (Journal, 356–7).

The instrument he now used is described in detail in the Transit book, 79, 88–89, 97–98, 115–16.

Pigott , Journal, 199.

Ibid., 257.

Ibid., 384.

Ibid., 388.

Pigott Edward , “On the periodical changes of brightness of two fixed stars”, Philosophical transactions, lxxxvii (1797), 133–41.

Pigott , Journal, 321.

Ibid. , 336 bis.

Ibid., 343.

Ibid., 392.

Ibid., 393.

Herschel W. , “On the nature and construction of the Sun and fixed stars”, Philosophical transactions, lxxxv (1795), 46–72, p. 68.

Pigott , Journal, 389.

Philosophical transactions, lxxxvi (1796), 452–82, p. 458. The suggestion of stars being flattened by quick rotatory motions goes back to de Maupertuis P. L. M. , Discours sur les différentes figures des astres (Paris, 1732).

Flamsteed's Atlas (French edn, Paris, 1776) in EP MSS, facing p. viii.

Loose sheets inserted in Pigott's Journal.

Pigott Edward , “An investigation of all the changes of the variable star in Sobieski's Shield, from five year's observations, exhibiting its proportional illuminated parts, and its irregularities of rotation; with conjectures respecting unenlightened heavenly bodies”, Philosophical transactions, xcv (1805), 131–54.

Ibid., 144.

Ibid., 145.

Ibid., 152.

Ibid., 152–3.

Ibid., 154.

Cited, from a manuscript in his possession, by de Beer Gavin , The sciences were never at war (London, 1960), 138.

Ibid., 161.

Melmore , op. cit. (ref. 4), 285.

De Beer , op. cit. (ref. 100), 154–5.

Letter to Herschel, 30 October 1806; Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.38.

He wrote to Herschel on 2 February and 28 September 1807 and 31 August 1811 (ibid., P.39–41) to draw his attention to comets, and careful drawings of the 1811 comet survive in the Pigott MSS.

Letter to Herschel, 24 August 1817; Herschel MSS, W.1/13.P.42.

Cited by Kopal in his article on the Pigotts in Dictionary of scientific biography.

Pigott to Herschel John , 10 May 1821; Herschel Papers, Royal Society. I owe this reference to Dr S. S. Schweber.

See ref. 93.