Thomas David Anderson (6 February 1853 – 31 March 1932) was a Scottish amateur
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, moons, comets and galaxies – in either o ...
.
Life
He was born at 28 Saxe-Coburg Place in
Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Stockbridge is a suburb of Edinburgh, located north of the city centre, bounded by the New Town and by Comely Bank. The name is Scots ''stock brig'' from Anglic ''stocc brycg'', meaning a timber bridge. Originally a small outlying village, ...
, the son of John Anderson.
When he was five years old, his father showed him
Comet Donati
:''There are three Donati comets: C/1855 L1 (a.k.a. 1855 II), C/1858 L1 (this one), and C/1864 R1 (a.k.a. 1864 I).''
Comet Donati, or Donati's Comet, formally designated C/1858 L1 and 1858 VI, is a long-period comet named after the Italian ...
, and his nanny also gave him an interest in astronomy.
He was educated at
Edinburgh Institution and the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
where he studied
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
, graduating with a
DSc in
philology
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...
in 1880. He abandoned his plans of becoming a minister. He was sufficiently well off financially to pursue astronomy full-time.
In 1890 he was living at 3 Alfred Place on the south side of Edinburgh and working as a bank agent for the
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Banca na h-Alba'') is a commercial and clearing bank based in Scotland and is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, following the Bank of Scotland's implosion in 2008. The bank was established by t ...
.
He became a keen observer, and discovered two fairly well known
nova
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
s:
Nova Aurigae 1892
T Aurigae (or Nova Aurigae 1891) was a nova, which lit up in the constellation Auriga in 1891. Thomas David Anderson, an amateur astronomer in Edinburgh, reported that he was "almost certain" he saw the nova at 02:00 UT on 24 January ...
and
Nova Persei 1901
GK Persei (also Nova Persei 1901) was a bright nova first observed on Earth in 1901. It was discovered by Thomas David Anderson, an Edinburgh clergyman, at 02:40 UT on 22 February 1901 when it was at magnitude 2.7. It reached a maximum ...
. The former marked the first time a nova's spectrum had been photographed, while the latter eventually reached
magnitude 0.2 to become the brightest nova in history since the
supernova SN 1604, though it was later topped by
Nova Aquilae 1918
V603 Aquilae (or Nova Aquilae 1918) was a bright nova first observed (from Earth) in the constellation Aquila in 1918. It was the brightest "new star" to appear in the sky since Kepler's Supernova in 1604. Like all novae, it is a binary ...
. His timely discoveries enabled spectra to be taken before maximum magnitude was reached.
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He constructed his own star charts and discovered 53
variable star
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as e ...
s, the first being
V Cassiopeiae in 1893. He also discovered through research that the 3rd-magnitude star
Theta Eridani had been described as 1st-magnitude by
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...
and
al-Sufi
ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Sufi ( fa, عبدالرحمن صوفی; December 7, 903 – May 25, 986) was an iranianRobert Harry van Gent. Biography of al-Sūfī'. "The Persian astronomer Abū al-Husayn ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn ‘Umar al-Sūfī was born in ...
.
In 1901, Anderson, Joseph Joachim Landerer, and
Henri Chrétien
Henri Jacques Chrétien (1 February 1879, Paris – 6 February 1956, Washington, D.C.) was a French astronomer and an inventor.
Born in Paris, France, his most famous inventions are:
- the anamorphic widescreen process, using an anamorphic len ...
jointly received the
Prix Jules Janssen, the highest award of the
Société astronomique de France
The Société astronomique de France (SAF; ), the French astronomical society, is a non-profit association in the public interest organized under French law ( Association loi de 1901). Founded by astronomer Camille Flammarion in 1887, its purpos ...
, the French astronomical society.
For his nova discoveries he won the
Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
for 1897-1900 and the
Jackson-Gwilt Medal
The Jackson-Gwilt Medal is an award that has been issued by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) since 1897. The original criteria were for the invention, improvement, or development of astronomical instrumentation or techniques; for achievement ...
of the
Royal Astronomical Society
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in 1902.
He left Edinburgh in 1904 in search of better observing conditions. He claimed to have discovered another nova in
Cygnus in 1923, but this could not be independently confirmed, and it is possible that it was a
flare star.
Recognition
In 1954 the
Astronomical Society of Edinburgh
The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh (ASE) is an association of amateur astronomers and other individuals interested in astronomy, which is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The objectives are to encourage astronomical study and observation and to ...
had an inscription added to his grave at
Innerwick
Innerwick ( gd, Inbhir Mhuice) is a coastal civil parish and small village, which lies in the east of East Lothian, from Dunbar and approximately from Edinburgh.
Name
The name Innerwick is of Anglo-saxon origin and means inland farm or dw ...
to recognise his discovery of three temporary and 53 variable stars.
In 2014 a plaque was erected in Anderson's memory at 21 East Claremont Street in Edinburgh.
Thomas David Anderson
Retrieved 14 November 2018.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Thomas David
1853 births
1932 deaths
Scientists from Edinburgh
People educated at Stewart's Melville College
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish astronomers
Bank of Scotland people