Professor Roger John Tayler OBE FRS (25 October 1929 – 23 January 1997) was a British

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 ...

. Tayler made important contributions to stellar structure and evolution, plasma stability, nucleogenesis and cosmology. He wrote a number of textbooks. He collaborated with

Fred Hoyle Sir Fred Hoyle FRS (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer who formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and was one of the authors of the influential B2FH paper. He also held controversial stances on other sci ...

and Stephen Hawking at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

on problems of

helium Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic ta ...

production in

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...

Education

He was educated at

Solihull School Solihull School is a coeducational independent day school in Solihull, West Midlands, England. Founded in 1560, it is the oldest school in the town and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History In 1560 th ...

(1940–1947) and worked first at the

Atomic Energy Research Establishment The Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) was the main centre for atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from 1946 to the 1990s. It was created, owned and funded by the British Government. A number of early res ...

at Harwell and Culham, and then at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

where he was a lecturer in mathematics and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College before moving to the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

in 1966. In 1969 he was appointed professor of astronomy at

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ove ...

, London.

Career

He was Secretary (1971–79), Treasurer (1979–87) and finally President (1989–90) of the

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

. In March, 1995 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemati ...

. His candidacy citation read "''Roger Tayler's versatile career in Astronomy started with pioneering studies in stellar evolution, including his discovery of semi-convection. At Harwell, his work on plasma stability included a discussion of the stabilised pinch and the prediction of instabilities produced by finite resistivity. He subsequently applied this expertise to a study of the stability of stellar magnetic fields and to the interaction of rotation and magnetic fields with convection. In cosmology, he calculated (with Hoyle) the cosmic helium abundance, stressing the importance of the number of neutrino types, and he pointed out the significance of the neutron half-life. In nucleosynthesis he calculated the abundances of iron peak elements produced at high temperatures, and recently he has been deeply involved with the chemical evolution of galaxies. He has written substantial and penetrating review articles, and text-books used the world over. In addition he has given outstanding public service, especially through the Royal Astronomical Society.''" He was appointed OBE in the

1990 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1990 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...

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Obituary
(1997Obs...117..120) 1929 births 1997 deaths Deaths from multiple myeloma Academics of the University of Sussex 20th-century British astronomers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge People educated at Solihull School Professors of Gresham College Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society {{UK-astronomer-stub

Education

Career

See also

References

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