Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens is famous for his invention of the first accurate pendulum clock, discovering the rings of Saturn and it's largest moon, Titan. He also founded the wave theory of light known as "Huygens Construction," which he outlined in his Treatise on Light.
Early Life, the 'Little Archimedes'
Christiaan Huygens, (1929-1695), was born on April 14 in The Hague and grew up in a wealthy, cultural and intellectual environment. His father, Constantin Huygens, was a diplomat of the Dutch Republic, statesman, patron of the arts, composer and a poet. He grew up exposed to distinguished visitors at home such as the painter Rembrandt, English poet John Donne, and significantly for him, the great philosopher and mathematician René Descartes, among others. Their influence on young Christiaan was so enormous that he developed a lifelong love for art, music, law, engineering, and above all, mathematics.
His father called him "mon Archimede." He was also an excellent card and billiard player, and top-class rider.
At age 16 he entered the university and intensely focused on mathematics and law. At this young age, he started writing his treatises on major mathematical problems.
The Stargazer
Huygens also became interested in the skies. But before he could have a clear view of what's up there, he developed one of the best lenses for telescopes of the time. Using his lenses, he discovered Saturn's largest moon, Titan. The following year he made another astonomical discovery, the rings of Saturn. Actually, in an earlier work, Galileo in his telescopic discoveries observed them first, but could not tell what they were. Huygens had a better telescope and was the first to identify them as rings.
Working in astronomy demanded accurate timekeeping, and that year Huygens developed the pendulum clock with increased accuracy of time measurement. This is described in his famous book Horologium.
Celebrity Status, Crème de la Crème
Huygens' reputation spread fast, and when he went to Paris in 1660, he was instantly a celebrity. He became a member of the circle of the best thinkers of the day, including the great French mathematician Blaise Pascal, then Sorbiere and Carcavi. The following year he went to London and showed the English scientists his telescopes. Two years later Huygens was invited to join the Royal Society, followed by becoming a founding member of the Académie Royale des Sciences, equivalent of the Royal Society, becoming its president in 1672, an extraordinary honour for a Dutchman.
Last Years, Ill Health
Perhaps from overwork, Huygens was constantly ill. From Paris he returned to Holland in 1670, and some years later became so ill that he had to give up his position in the French Académie. He also made a return visit to London and met Newton there. Both scientists admired one another, with Newton describing Huygens as 'the most elegant mathematician of the age.'
Cosmotheoros, published posthumously, was his last work. It was the first serious scientific book on the idea of a gigantic universe populated with 'so many Suns, so many Earths…' More startling at that point in time were his discussions of the possibility of extraterrestral life, something that took more than three centuries for scientists to seriously investigate, although he was much admired that time.
Sources:
Chambers Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una McGovern, Chambers (2002)
The Great Scientist by John Farndon and Alex Woolf, Anne Rooney and Liz Gogerly, Capella (2005)
Who Discovered What When by David Ellyard, New Holland (2005)
