Nathaniel Everett Green

FRAS FRAS may refer to: * Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, post-nominal letters * Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Fellows of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland are individuals who have bee ...

(21 August 1823 – 10 November 1899) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

, art teacher and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

. He professionally painted landscapes and portraits, and also gained fame with his drawings of

planets A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a young ...

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, the son of Benjamin Holder Green (1793–1865), then a haberdasher, and Elizabeth ‘Betsey’ née Everett (1795–1837); his interest in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

dated from 1859 when he built a telescope for himself. He produced "soft-pencil" drawings of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

in 1877, which were widely known. Shortly after drawing them, he was the first to suggest that

canals on Mars During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was erroneously believed that there were "canals" on the planet Mars. These were a network of long straight lines in the equatorial regions from 60° north to 60° south latitude on Mars, observed ...

were an

optical illusion Within visual perception, an optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is an illusion caused by the visual system and characterized by a visual perception, percept that arguably appears to differ from reality. Illusions come in a wide v ...

. In 1880 he was called to Balmoral and taught art to some members of the Royal family including

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. He was founding member of the

British Astronomical Association The British Astronomical Association (BAA) was formed in 1890 as a national body to support the UK's amateur astronomers. Throughout its history, the BAA has encouraged observers to make scientifically valuable observations, often in collaborati ...

(BAA) and its president from 1896–1898. Green married Elizabeth Goold in 1847. Their daughter, Anne Goold Green, married English landscape painter

Laurence George Bomford Reverend Laurence George Bomford (6 August 1847 – 2 July 1926) was an English painter and clergyman. Life Laurence George Bomford was born on 6 August 1847 to Irish parents Samuel Bomford (17 Sept 1813 – 14 Apr 1898) and Francis Jane Winter ( ...

. A crater on Mars was named in his honor.

References

External links

N.E. Green biography at BAA
ead link*"Observations of Mars, at Madeira, in August and September 1877", ''Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society'', Vol. 44,
123

Obituaries

1823 births 1899 deaths 19th-century British astronomers 19th-century English painters English male painters Artists from Bristol 19th-century English male artists {{England-painter-stub