Thomas Harriot (/ˈhæriət/;[2] c. 1560 – 2 July 1621), also spelled Harriott, Hariot or Heriot, was an English astronomer, mathematician, ethnographer and translator to whom the theory of refraction is attributed.

[3] While Harriot worked extensively on numerous papers on the subjects of astronomy, mathematics and navigation, he remains obscure because he published little of it,[4] namely only The Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1588).

He learned the Carolina Algonquian language from two Native Americans, Wanchese and Manteo, and could translate it, making him a vital member of the expedition.

[3] After educating himself by incorporating ideals from his astronomic and nautical studies, Harriot taught other captains his navigational techniques in Raleigh.

[12] His account of the voyage, named A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, was published in 1588 (probably written a year before).

The True Report contains an early account of the Native American population encountered by the expedition; it proved very influential upon later English explorers and colonists.

He wrote: "Whereby it may be hoped, if means of good government be used, that they may in short time be brought to civility and the embracing of true religion.

"[13] At the same time, his views of Native Americans' industry and capacity to learn were later largely ignored in favor of the parts of the "True Report" about extractable minerals and resources.

[citation needed] As a scientific adviser during the voyage, Harriot was asked by Raleigh to find the most efficient way to stack cannonballs on the deck of the ship.

[citation needed] The Duke was surrounded by many scholars and learned men and provided a more stable form of patronage than Raleigh.

Not long after the Durham transactions, the Duke gave Harriot the use of one of the houses on the estate at Syon, to work on optics and the sine law of refraction.

[3] Walter Warner, Robert Hues, William Lower, and other scientists were present around the Earl of Northumberland's mansion as they worked for him and assisted in the teaching of the family's children.

By 1613, Harriot had created two maps of the whole Moon, with many identifiable features such as lunar craters depicted in their correct relative positions that were not to be improved upon for several decades.

[9] Thomas Harriot was buried in the church of St Christopher le Stocks in Threadneedle Street, near where he died.

Harriott also studied optics and refraction, and apparently discovered Snell's law 20 years before Snellius did; like so many of his works, this remained unpublished.

[31] Harriot's accomplishments remain relatively obscure because he did not publish any of his results and also because many of his manuscripts have been lost; those that survive are in the British Museum and in the archives of the Percy family at Petworth House (Sussex) and Alnwick Castle (Northumberland).

He was frequently accused of being an atheist, and it has been suggested that he deliberately refrained from publishing for fear of intensifying such attacks; as the literary historian Stephen Greenblatt writes "... he preferred life to fame.

"[32] An event was held at Syon House, West London, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Harriot's first observations of the Moon on 26 July 2009.

[citation needed] In July 2014 the International Astronomical Union launched NameExoWorlds, a process for giving proper names to certain exoplanets and their host stars.

In Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy, Diana Bishop persuades the clockmaker Nicholas Vallin to make and engrave a telescope for Harriot, recording his unpublished contribution to the science.

[36][37][8] Galileo's drawings, which were the first such observations to be published, contained greater detail such as identifying previously unknown features including mountains and craters.

[40] Harriot's findings challenged the idea of the unchanging heavens by explaining the Sun's axial rotation and provided further support for the heliocentric theory.

[41] Based on this observation, Harriot created mathematical equations that included logarithms and series calculations to illustrate his concepts.