Thomas Digges (1546 – August 24 1595) was an English astronomer.

Son of Leonard Digges, inventor of the theodolite, and great populariser of science. After his father's death, Thomas grew up under the guardianship of John Dee (John Dee (see also http://www.johndee.org/) a typical Renaissance natural philosopher.

He attempted to determine the parallax of the 1572 supernova observed by Tycho Brahe, and concluded it had to be beyond the orbit of the Moon. This contradicted the accepted view of the universe, according to which no change could take place among the fixed stars.

In 1576 he published a greatly revised edition of his fathers book "A General Prognostication" originally published in 1553, and now called "Prognostication Everlasting". Contrary to his fathers book, this edition featured a detailed discussion of the controversial and still poorly known Copernican heliocentric model of the Universe. This was the first publication of that model in English language, and a milestone in the popularisation of science. Not only that, but Thomas Digges actually went further by indicating a multitude of stars extending to infinity in all directions, rather than the traditional crystal sphere concept of Copernicus.

An illustration of the Copernican universe can be seen here. The outer inscription on the map reads: "This orb of stars fixed infinitely up extends itself in altitude spherically, and therefore immovable the palace of felicity garnished with perpetual shining glorious lights innumerable, far excelling over [the] sun both in quantity and quality the very court of celestial angels, devoid of grief and replenished with perfect endless joy, the habitacle for the elect."

He served as a member of Parliament and also had a military career as a Muster-Master General to the English forces from 1586 to 1594 during the war with the Spanish Netherlands. REFERENCES

Gribbin, John 2002. Science : A History. Penguin