Raymond Arthur Lyttleton FRS (7 May 1911 – 16 May 1995) was a

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mathematician and theoretical

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

. He was born in Warley Woods near

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and educated at King Edward VI Five Ways school in Birmingham, going from there to

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to read mathematics, graduating in 1933. He was elected a Fellow of St John's College in 1937 and appointed a lecturer in mathematics in the same year (until 1959). A keen amateur cricketer, he played

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for

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from 1946–1949, making fifteen appearances. He was Reader in Theoretical Astronomy from 1959 to 1969, after which he was appointed to a specially created professorship in the subject. He was elected a

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

in 1955. His application citation read: "''Distinguished for his work in astronomy. Author of numerous papers on the origin and early history of the Solar System, notably his modifications of the collision theory. Showed from work of Cartan that fission of a planet by rotation would give two independent bodies, and consequently that the fission theory of binary stars is untenable (The Stability of Rotating Liquid Masses, 1953). Author (with F. Hoyle) of numerous papers on the astronomical effects of accretion, and (with H. Bondi) of two on the transmission of the tidal friction couple to the Earth's core and on the behaviour of the core during precessions. Author of a striking new theory of comets. (The Comets and their Origin, 1953)'' He won the Royal Society

Royal Medal The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal and The King's Medal (depending on the gender of the monarch at the time of the award), is a silver-gilt medal, of which three are awarded each year by the Royal Society. Two are given for "the mo ...

in 1965 "''In recognition of his distinguished contributions to astronomy, particularly for his work on the dynamical stability of galaxies''." He wrote a number of books:'' The Comets and Their Origin'' (1953), ''The Stability of Rotating Liquid Masses'' (1953), ''The Modern Universe'' , '' Rival Theories of Cosmology'' , '' Man's View of the Universe'' (1961), ''Mysteries of the Solar System'' (1968), '' The Earth and its Mountains'' (1982), ''The Gold Effect'' (1990). In 1956, he presented a 5-part television series on the B.B.C. entitled "The Modern Universe" He had married Meave Hobden in Poole in 1939.

Read also

* Lyttleton, Raymond Arthur (1968) ''Mysteries of the Solar System'', Clarendon, Oxford.

References

External links

''Professor Raymond A. Lyttleton, F.R.S.'' a tribute by Sharan Majumdar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyttleton, Raymond 1911 births 1995 deaths Royal Medal winners Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society Fellows of the Royal Society People educated at King Edward VI Five Ways English cricketers Cambridgeshire cricketers 20th-century English sportsmen