Sir Edmond Halley was born in London, in 1656. A student at Oxford in the mid 1670's, he left school early to study the southern skies, near St. Helena. In months prior to this voyage, Halley corresponded with astronomer John Flamsteed, and published his first scientific work, in 1676.

Edmond Halley (1656–1742) was a British astronomer. A central figure in 17th- and 18th-century science, he made many influential contributions to astronomy. He is best known for recognizing that.