William Henry Smyth: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Comet of 1811.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Great Comet of 1811]], as drawn by William Henry Smyth]] |
[[Image:Comet of 1811.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Great Comet of 1811]], as drawn by William Henry Smyth]] |
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'''William Henry Smyth''' (21 January 1788 – 8 September 1865) was an [[England|English]] [[sailor]] and [[astronomer |
'''William Henry Smyth''' (21 January 1788 – 8 September 1865) was an [[England|English]] [[sailor]] and [[astronomer]]. |
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==Private Life== |
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He was born in [[Westminster]], [[London]]. He was the only son of Joseph Smyth and Georgina Caroline Pitt Pilkington, granddaughter of the Irish writer and protégéé of Jonathan Swift, [[Laetitia Pilkington]]. His father was a colonial [[United States|American]] who lived in East Jersey. He was an [[England|English]] loyalist, however, and after the [[American Revolution]] emigrated to England where his son was born. |
He was born in [[Westminster]], [[London]]. He was the only son of Joseph Smyth and Georgina Caroline Pitt Pilkington, granddaughter of the Irish writer and protégéé of Jonathan Swift, [[Laetitia Pilkington]]. His father was a colonial [[United States|American]] who lived in East Jersey. He was an [[England|English]] loyalist, however, and after the [[American Revolution]] emigrated to England where his son was born. |
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| ⚫ | Smyth suffered a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] in early September, 1865, and at first seemed to recover. On [[8 September]] he showed the planet [[Jupiter]] to his young grandson, Arthur Smyth Flower, through a telescope. A few hours later in the early morning of [[9 September]], at age 78, he died. He was buried in the churchyard at [[Stone, Buckinghamshire|Stone]] near [[Aylesbury]]. |
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| ⚫ | Smyth joined the [[Royal Navy]] and during the [[Napoleonic wars]] he served in the [[Mediterranean]], eventually achieving the rank of Admiral |
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He had married [[Eliza Anne "Annarella" Warington]] in 1815. He was the father of [[Charles Piazzi Smyth]], Sir [[Warington Wilkinson Smyth]] and General Sir [[Henry Augustus Smyth]]. Of his daughters, Henrietta Grace Smyth married Professor [[Baden Powell (mathematician)|Baden Powell]] and was mother of [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell]], while Georgiana Rosetta Smyth married Sir [[William Henry Flower]]. |
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| ⚫ | Having completed his observations, Smyth retired to [[Cardiff]] in 1839. His observatory was dismantled and the telescope was sold to Dr. [[John Lee (astronomer)|John Lee]] and re-erected in a new observatory of his own design at [[Hartwell House]]. Smyth still had the opportunity to use it since his residence at St. John's Lodge in Stone was not far from its new location, and did a large number of additional astronomical observations from 1839 to 1859. The telescope is presently in the Science Museum, London. |
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==Career== |
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| ⚫ | Smyth suffered a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] in early September, 1865, and at first seemed to recover. On [[8 September]] he showed the planet [[Jupiter]] to his young grandson, Arthur Smyth Flower, through a telescope. A few hours later in the early morning of [[9 September]], at age 78, he died. He was buried in the churchyard at [[Stone, Buckinghamshire|Stone]] near [[Aylesbury]]. |
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| ⚫ | Smyth joined the [[Royal Navy]] and during the [[Napoleonic wars]] he served in the [[Mediterranean]], eventually achieving the rank of Admiral. During a [[hydrographic survey]] in 1817 he met the [[Italy|Italian]] [[astronomer]] [[Giuseppe Piazzi]] in [[Palermo|Palermo, Sicily]], and visited his [[observatory]]; this sparked his interest in [[astronomy]] and in 1825 he retired from the Navy to establish a private observatory in [[Bedford, Bedfordshire|Bedford]], [[England]], equipped with a 5.9-inch [[refractor telescope|refractor]] [[telescope]]. He used this instrument to observe a variety of [[deep sky object]]s over the course of the 1830s, including [[double star]]s, [[star cluster]]s and [[nebula]]e. He published his observations in 1844 in the ''[[Cycle of Celestial Objects]]'', which earned him the [[Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society]] in 1845 and also the presidency of the society. The first volume of this work was on general astronomy, but the second volume became known as the ''[[Bedford Catalogue]]'' and contained Smyth's observations of 1,604 double stars and nebulae. It served as a standard reference work for many years afterward; no astronomer had previously made as extensive a catalogue of dim objects such as this. |
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| ⚫ | Having completed his observations, Smyth retired to [[Cardiff]] in 1839. His observatory was dismantled and the telescope was sold to Dr. [[John Lee (astronomer)|John Lee]] and re-erected in a new observatory of his own design at [[Hartwell House]]. Smyth still had the opportunity to use it since his residence at St. John's Lodge in Stone was not far from its new location, and did a large number of additional astronomical observations from 1839 to 1859. The telescope is presently in the Science Museum, London. |
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He was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] in June 1826. <ref> {{cite web | url=http://www2.royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=6&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27smyth%27%29|title- Library and Archive Catalogue|publisher= Royal Society|accessdate= 19 October 2010}} </ref> |
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A [[lunar mare]] was named [[Mare Smythii]] in his honour. |
A [[lunar mare]] was named [[Mare Smythii]] in his honour. |
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Revision as of 17:56, 19 October 2010
William Henry Smyth (21 January 1788 – 8 September 1865) was an English sailor and astronomer.
Private Life
He was born in Westminster, London. He was the only son of Joseph Smyth and Georgina Caroline Pitt Pilkington, granddaughter of the Irish writer and protégéé of Jonathan Swift, Laetitia Pilkington. His father was a colonial American who lived in East Jersey. He was an English loyalist, however, and after the American Revolution emigrated to England where his son was born.
Smyth suffered a heart attack in early September, 1865, and at first seemed to recover. On 8 September he showed the planet Jupiter to his young grandson, Arthur Smyth Flower, through a telescope. A few hours later in the early morning of 9 September, at age 78, he died. He was buried in the churchyard at Stone near Aylesbury.
He had married Eliza Anne "Annarella" Warington in 1815. He was the father of Charles Piazzi Smyth, Sir Warington Wilkinson Smyth and General Sir Henry Augustus Smyth. Of his daughters, Henrietta Grace Smyth married Professor Baden Powell and was mother of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, while Georgiana Rosetta Smyth married Sir William Henry Flower.
Career
Smyth joined the Royal Navy and during the Napoleonic wars he served in the Mediterranean, eventually achieving the rank of Admiral. During a hydrographic survey in 1817 he met the Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi in Palermo, Sicily, and visited his observatory; this sparked his interest in astronomy and in 1825 he retired from the Navy to establish a private observatory in Bedford, England, equipped with a 5.9-inch refractor telescope. He used this instrument to observe a variety of deep sky objects over the course of the 1830s, including double stars, star clusters and nebulae. He published his observations in 1844 in the Cycle of Celestial Objects, which earned him the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1845 and also the presidency of the society. The first volume of this work was on general astronomy, but the second volume became known as the Bedford Catalogue and contained Smyth's observations of 1,604 double stars and nebulae. It served as a standard reference work for many years afterward; no astronomer had previously made as extensive a catalogue of dim objects such as this.
Having completed his observations, Smyth retired to Cardiff in 1839. His observatory was dismantled and the telescope was sold to Dr. John Lee and re-erected in a new observatory of his own design at Hartwell House. Smyth still had the opportunity to use it since his residence at St. John's Lodge in Stone was not far from its new location, and did a large number of additional astronomical observations from 1839 to 1859. The telescope is presently in the Science Museum, London.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1826. [1] A lunar mare was named Mare Smythii in his honour.
External links
- ^ . Royal Society http://www2.royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=6&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27smyth%27%29. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Text "title- Library and Archive Catalogue" ignored (help)