Halley had returned to England from St.…
May 1679 CE
Halley had returned to England from St. Helena in November 1678, and in May of the following year goes to Danzig (Gdańsk) on behalf of the Royal Society to help resolve a dispute: because astronomer Johannes Hevelius, a Protestant councilor and mayor, does not use a telescope, his observations have been questioned by Robert Hooke.
Halley had been instructed by Hooke and Flamsteed to persuade Hevelius to use telescopes for his measurements, yet Hevelius demonstrates that he can do well with only quadrant and alidade.
He is thus considered the last astronomer to do major work without the use of a telescope.
Halley stays with Hevelius and observes and verifies the quality of Hevelius' observations.
The same year, Halley publishes Catalogus Stellarum Australium, which includes details of three hundred and forty-one southern stars.
These additions to present-day star maps earn him comparison with Tycho Brahe.