Nearer the gods no mortal may approach. Edmond Halley. …

Edmond Halley
Portrait by Richard Phillips, before 1722
Born	8 November [O.S. 29 October] 1656 Haggerston, Middlesex, England
Died	25 January 1742 [O.S. 14 January 1741] (aged 85) Greenwich, Kent, England
Resting place	St. Margaret’s, Lee, South London
Nationality	English
Alma mater	The Queen’s College, Oxford
Spouse(s)	Mary Tooke
Children	Edmond Halley (d. 1741) Margaret (d. 1713) Richelle (d. 1748)
Scientific career
Fields	Astronomy, geophysics, mathematics, meteorology, physics, cartography
Institutions	University of Oxford Royal Observatory, Greenwich

Edmond (or Edmund) Halley, FRS (/ˈhæli/;^[3][4] 8 November [O.S. 29 October] 1656 – 25 January 1742 . 14 January 1741]) was an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist. He was the second Astronomer Royal in Britain, succeeding John Flamsteed in 1720.

Scarce any problem will appear more hard and difficult, than that of determining the distance of the Sun from the Earth very near the truth: but even this… will without much labour be effected. Edmond Halley. …

• This sight… is by far the noblest astronomy affords.