Regius Professor Of Astronomy, Glasgow
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The Regius Chair of Astronomy is a
Regius Professor A Regius Professor is a university Professor (highest academic rank), professor who has, or originally had, Monarchy of the United Kingdom, royal patronage or appointment. They are a unique feature of academia in the United Kingdom and Republic ...
ship in the
University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
. Founded in 1760 with the title Practical Astronomy (and with the office of Observer in the University) the title was changed in 1893.


History

The first holder of the chair was famed Scottish astronomer Alexander Wilson, who put forward the theory that the entire
universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...
rotated around its centre (which was later found to be true for
galaxies A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar Sys ...
but not the universe), and discovered that
sunspots Sunspots are temporary spots on the Sun's surface that are darker than the surrounding area. They are one of the most recognizable Solar phenomena and despite the fact that they are mostly visible in the solar photosphere they usually affe ...
viewed near the edge of the Sun's visible disk appear depressed below the solar surface, a phenomenon still referred to as the Wilson effect. The Professor was not at this time required to teach. Wilson employed his second son, Patrick, as his assistant and intended successor in 1782, with the approval of the university but not of the Crown. The Crown relented in 1784 and Patrick was appointed to the chair. William Meikleham was then appointed to the chair in 1799, but resigned it in 1803 to become Professor of Natural Philosophy. He was succeeded by John Couper, previously Minister of
Baldernock Baldernock (;G.M. Miller, ''BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names'' (Oxford UP, 1971), p. 9. ) meaning 'settlement of St Earnaig' (Iain Mac an Táilleir, Sabhall Mór Ostaig) is a small parish in East Dunbartonshire (formerly in Stirlingshi ...
, who was succeeded in 1836 by John Nichol. Nichol led the Astronomical Institute of Glasgow in its initiative to erect an observatory on Horslethill in 1841, which later fell into difficulties due to Nichol's poor accounting. The observatory was taken over by the university in 1845. Nichol was noted for delivering inspiring lectures both to students and the general public, and also lectured for two years on Natural Philosophy when the Professor, William Meikleham, (his predecessor in the Astronomy Chair) was unwell, and when his students included the young
Lord Kelvin William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (26 June 182417 December 1907), was a British mathematician, Mathematical physics, mathematical physicist and engineer. Born in Belfast, he was the Professor of Natural Philosophy (Glasgow), professor of Natur ...
. Nichol died in 1859 and was succeeded by Robert Grant, who in 1883 published a ''Catalogue of 6,415 Stars for the Epoch 1870''. Grant died in 1892 and was succeeded by Ludwig Becker, a German scientist originally from
Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
, who had moved to Scotland in 1885 as director of the observatory at
Dunecht Dunecht () is a slightly linear village on the A944 road in north-east Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It is not to be confused with Echt. Dunecht is located 12 miles (19.5 km) west of the city of Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a por ...
in
Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
. Becker was popular with students and was thought at the time to have the best-attended astronomy classes in Britain. He retired in 1935. In 1937, William Smart was appointed to the chair, having previously been John Couch Adams Astronomer at the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. He wrote over twenty books and was
President of the Royal Astronomical Society The president of the Royal Astronomical Society (prior to 1831 known as President of the Astronomical Society of London) chairs the Council of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and its formal meetings. They also liaise with government organisati ...
from 1949 to 1951. He retired in 1959 and was succeeded by Peter Sweet, formerly Assistant Director of the
University of London Observatory UCL Observatory (called the University of London Observatory until 2015) at Mill Hill in London is an astronomical teaching observatory. It is part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London. History The Observator ...
. Sweet oversaw expansion of the Astronomy Department and construction of a new observatory on the university's Garscube site. Upon Sweet's retirement in 1982, the Department of Astronomy was merged into the Department of Natural Philosophy, and
John Campbell Brown John Campbell Brown (4 February 1947 – 16 November 2019) was a Scottish astronomer who worked primarily in solar physics. He held the posts of Astronomer Royal for Scotland, the Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Glasgow, an ...
was appointed to a new Chair of Astrophysics while the Regius Chair remained vacant. Brown was appointed
Astronomer Royal for Scotland Astronomer Royal for Scotland was the title of the director of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh until 1995. It has since been an honorary title. Astronomers Royal for Scotland See also * Edinburgh Astronomical Institution * City Observatory * R ...
in 1995, and in 1996 was appointed to the revived Regius Chair of Astronomy. In 2010, the university marked the chair's 250th anniversary with a week of public lectures, an exhibition on inaugural holder Alexander Wilson in the
Hunterian Museum The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology M ...
., and by hosting the 2010 National Astronomy Meeting.


Regius Professors of Astronomy

* Alexander Wilson (1760) *
Patrick Wilson Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty (musical), The Full Mont ...
(1784) * William Meikleham (1799) * James Couper (1803) * John Nichol FRSE FRAS (1836) * Robert Grant FRS (1859) * Ludwig Becker FRSE (1893) *
William Marshall Smart William Marshall Smart (9 March 1889, Doune, Perthshire – 17 September 1975, Lancaster) was a 20th-century Scottish astronomer. Life He was born in Doune in Stirlingshire the son of Peter Fernie Smart and his wife, Isabella Marshall Harrower ...
FRSE PRAS LLD RIN (1937) * Peter Allan Sweet (1959) *
John Campbell Brown John Campbell Brown (4 February 1947 – 16 November 2019) was a Scottish astronomer who worked primarily in solar physics. He held the posts of Astronomer Royal for Scotland, the Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Glasgow, an ...
OBE FRSE
Astronomer Royal for Scotland Astronomer Royal for Scotland was the title of the director of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh until 1995. It has since been an honorary title. Astronomers Royal for Scotland See also * Edinburgh Astronomical Institution * City Observatory * R ...
(1996)


References

* ''Who, What and Where: The History and Constitution of the University of Glasgow''. Compiled by Michael Moss, Moira Rankin and Lesley Richmond)


See also

* List of Professorships at the University of Glasgow {{DEFAULTSORT:Professor of Astronomy, Regius, Glasgow Astronomy, Regius 1760 establishments in Scotland Astronomy, Regius, Glasgow Astronomy, Glasgow