William Marshall Smart (9 March 1889,

Doune Doune (; from Scottish Gaelic: ''An Dùn'', meaning 'the fort') is a burgh within Perthshire. The town is administered by Stirling Council. Doune is assigned Falkirk postcodes starting "FK". The village lies within the parish of Kilmadock and mai ...

, Perthshire – 17 September 1975, Lancaster) was a 20th-century Scottish astronomer.

Life

He was born in

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...

the son of Peter Fernie Smart and his wife, Isabella Marshall Harrower. He was educated at the McLaren High School, in Callander, and graduated MA from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

in 1910 in mathematics and natural philosophy. He went on to graduate with a triple first in the Mathematical Triposes at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, where he won the Tyson Medal for

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

. He served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as an instructor in navigation ( RN College Greenwich 1915, 1916–19) and then returned to

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

in 1919 as a lecturer in mathematics and astronomer

John Couch Adams John Couch Adams (; 5 June 1819 – 21 January 1892) was a British mathematician and astronomer. He was born in Laneast, near Launceston, Cornwall, and died in Cambridge. His most famous achievement was predicting the existence and position o ...

(1921–1937). With Commander FN Shearme, he wrote the ''Admiralty Manual of Navigation'' (1922). From 1937 to 1959 he was Regius Professor of Astronomy at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. The first edition of his ''Text-Book on Spherical Astronomy'' (later co-authored) appeared in 1931. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Smart published four volumes on sea and air navigation that became training manuals in the armed forces. He wrote more than twenty academic books during his career and he was recognised as a leader in his field. In 1943 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Edward Hindle, William Michael Herbert Greaves, Edwin Arthur Baker and

James Pickering Kendall James Pickering Kendall FRS FRSE (30 July 1889, in Chobham, Surrey – 14 June 1978, in Edinburgh) was a British chemist. Life Kendall was born in Chobham, Surrey to soldier William Henry Kendall of the Royal Horse Artillery, and his second w ...

. He served as the society's vice president from 1952 to 1955. In 1944 he moved to the university property: 2 The Square in Glasgow, previously the house of Prof Duncan M. Blair. He was president of the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NG ...

from 1949 to 1951, and was a member of the Royal Institute of Navigation. He was awarded the Lorimer Medal of the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh in 1958.Astronomical Society of Edinburgh, Lorimer Medal https://www.astronomyedinburgh.org/about-us/lorimer-medal/

Family

He was married to Isabel Carswell. Their children included Professor

Ninian Smart Roderick Ninian Smart (6 May 1927 – 29 January 2001) was a Scottish writer and university educator. He was a pioneer in the field of secular religious studies. In 1967 he established the first department of religious studies in the United Ki ...

and the utilitarian philosopher, Professor John Jamieson Carswell "Jack" Smart, (often known as J.J.C Smart).

Published books

* The Sun, the Stars and the Universe (1928) * Astrophysics: the characteristics and evolution of the stars (1928) * Textbook on Spherical Astronomy (1931) * Stellar Motions (1932) * Astronomy (1937) * Stellar dynamics (1938) * Foundations of Astronomy (1942) * Introduction to sea & air navigation... (1942) * Astronomical Navigation: A Handbook for Aviators (1944) * Some famous stars (1950) * Celestial Mechanics (1953) * Foundations of Analytical Geometry (1956) * Combination of Observations (1958) * The Origin of the Earth (1959) * Stellar kinematics (1968) * The riddle of the universe (1970)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, William Marshall 1889 births 1975 deaths People from Stirling (council area) Scottish astronomers Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Glasgow Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Royal Navy personnel of World War I Scottish sailors Academics of the University of Cambridge Academics of the University of Glasgow Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society