Anders Celsius
Anders Celsius was born in Uppsala on January 27th in 1701. He was one of a large number of scientists who were all related and originated from Ovanaker in province of Halsingland. His grandfathers Magnus Celsius and Anders Spole were professors in Uppsala. His father, Nils Celsius was also a professor in astronomy. Anders has been very talented in mathematics ever since he was young and he was also interested in science. Celsius studied at the University of Uppsala where his father was teaching. In 1730 Anders also became a professor of astronomy at the University of Uppsala. His early research was mainly about the northern lights. He was the first person to suggest a connection between these lights and change in the earth's magnetic field. Anders Celsius died of tuberculosis in April 1744, only 42 years old. His grave is next to his grandfather's, Magnus Celsius, in the church at Gamla Uppsala.
The house of Anders Celsius with his observatory o...
English: Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius
Oil painting of Anders Celsius. Painting by Olof A...In 1732 Anders went on a tour which lasted four years. During this tour, he had visited almost all the famous European observatories where he worked with many of the leading 18th century astronomers. After the tour, he had returned to Uppsala and he went on an expedition to Tornea with the French astronomer Pierre-Louis Maupertuis. The purpose of this expedition was to measure the length of a degree along a meridian close to the pole and then to compare the result with another expedition to Peru which took place near the equator. These expeditions supported Newton's belief that the shape of the earth is an ellipsoid flattened at the poles. When he returned from the expedition he made many observations using colored glass plates to record the magnitude of certain stars. This was the first attempt to measure the intensity of starlight with a...