Jeremy eremiahShakerley (November 1626 – ) was an English astronomer who came from astrological traditions but followed an observational approach which led him to critique several works of his time. Shakerly was born in

Halifax, Yorkshire Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire, primarily in woo ...

to William Shakerley and Judith Brig (Briggs/Brigge). He was educated at a free school and then studied in Ireland before returning due to the unrest there. He concentrated on studies in mathematics from 1647 and began to correspond with the astrologer

William Lilly William Lilly (9 June 1681) was a seventeenth century English astrologer. He is described as having been a genius at something "that modern mainstream opinion has since decided cannot be done at all" having developed his stature as the most imp ...

. He believed that astrology could be improved by astronomical practice and sought to predict eclipses. He worked under John Stephenson and made calculations based on Kepler's tables. For a while he lived under the patronage of Christopher Towneley at Carr Hall. In 1649 he began to critique the work of

Vincent Wing Vincent Wing (1619–1668) was an English astrologer and astronomer, professionally a land surveyor. Life and publications Vincent Wing was born at North Luffenham, Rutland on 9 April 1619.See B.S. Capp, 'Wing, Vincent (1619–1668)' in ''Oxfor ...

which he published as ''The anatomy of Urania practica: … laying open the errors and impertinencies delivered … by Mr Vincent Wing, and Mr William Leybourne, under the title of Urania practica'' (1649). He had examined the work of Jeremy Horrocks and found better explanation of the dynamics of the moon. Shakerley's predictions were published by Robert and

William Leybourn William Leybourn (16261716) was an English mathematician and land surveyor, author, printer and bookseller. Career as a printer During the late 1640s Robert Leybourn's press in Monkswell Street near Cripplegate, London was occupied with books a ...

e as ''Tabulae Britannicae: the British Tables ''(1653). He travelled to India to make observations on a

transit of Mercury file:Mercury transit symbol.svg, frameless, upright=0.5 A transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury (planet), Mercury passes directly between the Sun and a superior planet. During a Astronomical transit, transit, Merc ...

predicted to occur in 1651. While in India, he calculated the latitude of Surat as "''21 degrees and'' ''betwixt 10' and 15' North''" writing to Henry Osborne in London. He observed that Indian astrologers were able to make predictions of lunar eclipses with little error and sought to examine their methods. Nothing further was heard of him and it is thought that he died in India.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shakerley, Jeremy 17th-century English astronomers 1626 births 1653 deaths People from Halifax, West Yorkshire