Richard Alfred Rossiter (December 19, 1886 January 26, 1977) was an American astronomer, known for the

Rossiter–McLaughlin effect The Rossiter–McLaughlin effect is a spectroscopic phenomenon observed when an object moves across the face of a star. Description The Rossiter–McLaughlin effect is a spectroscopic phenomenon observed when either an eclipsing binary's second ...

. Rossiter served as director of the

Lamont–Hussey Observatory The Lamont–Hussey Observatory (LHO) was an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of Michigan (UM). It was located in the city of Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa. Construction at the site began in 1927, and the f ...

from 1928 until 1952.

Early life

Rossiter was born in Oswego,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, on December 19, 1886. He graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

in 1914, and married Jane van Dusen in 1915. He taught mathematics at Wesleyan Seminary for five years before enrolling in the astronomy program at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He earned a master's degree in 1920, and a doctorate three years later. His doctoral dissertation, a study of the spectrum of

Beta Lyrae Beta Lyrae (β Lyrae, abbreviated Beta Lyr, β Lyr) officially named Sheliak (Arabic: الشلياق, Romanization: ash-Shiliyāq) (IPA: ), the traditional name of the system, is a multiple star system in the constellation of Lyra. Based ...

, demonstrated that the shift that it exhibited could be accounted for by

stellar rotation Stellar rotation is the angular motion of a star about its axis. The rate of rotation can be measured from the spectrum of the star, or by timing the movements of active features on the surface. The rotation of a star produces an equatorial bulge ...

. Rossiter and his wife had two children, Laura and Alfred.

Career

Rossiter became the first director of the

in 1928. During this tenure at the observatory, he discovered more than 5,000 double stars. His ''Catalogue of Southern Double Stars'', published in 1955, was dedicated to W. J. Hussey, one of the professors for whom the observatory was named.

Published works

* ''New Southern Double Stars (first list) Found at the Lamont-Hussey Observatory of the University of Michigan at Bloemfontein'', Royal Astronomical Society, 1933 * ''The orbit and rotation of the brighter component of Beta Lyrae'', University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1933 * ''Catalogue of Southern Double Stars (Publication of the Observatory of the University of Michigan, Volume XI)'', University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1955

Later life

Rossiter retired in Natal, South Africa in 1953, never returning to the U.S. He died at the age of 90 in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossiter, Richard Alfred 1886 births 1977 deaths American astronomers People from Oswego, New York Wesleyan University alumni University of Michigan alumni Scientists from New York (state)