Alexander William Roberts
Encyclopedia
Alexander William Roberts (December 4, 1857–January 27, 1938) was Scottish
-born, South Africa
n teacher and an amateur astronomer
.
He was born in Farr, which lies in the county of Sutherland, Scotland
. As a youth he developed an interest in astronomy, but was dissuaded from a career by Charles Piazzi Smyth
, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland
. From 1877 until 1881 he served as an assistant teacher at the North School, in Wick, Scotland
.
He emigrated to South Africa
in 1883, where he took a teaching position at the Lovedale Missionary Institution. (He would later serve as acting Principal at the institute, then Principal at Lovedale Training School.) The following year he was married to Elizabeth Dunnett. The couple would have three children.
In 1894 he received a F.R.A.S., then a F.R.S.E. in 1898. He was awarded a Doctor of Science
from the University of the Cape of Good Hope
in 1899.
In South Africa he pursued his interest in astronomy, first measuring the parallax
and proper motion
of Alpha Centauri
and Beta Centauri
. He then became a prolific observer of variable stars, particularly those that were members of a binary system. He continued his observations for over thirty years, and pioneered the study of close binary systems. He published over 100 works on these topics. Between 1891 and 1920 he made over 250,000 observations of 98 variable stars.
In 1913 he served as president of the S.A.A.A.S.
Much of his work was communicated through Edward C. Pickering, the director of the Harvard College Observatory. However, with the death of Pickering in 1919 he ceased further research. Instead he began to focus on politics and race relations in South Africa. The Prime Minister Jan Smuts
appointed him as a senator to represent the interests of native Africans on the Native Affairs Commission. Later in 1925, however, he did serve as the South African delegate to the I.A.U.
general
assembly.
The crater Roberts
on the Moon
is co-named for him and Sir Isaac Roberts
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n teacher and an amateur astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
He was born in Farr, which lies in the county of Sutherland, Scotland
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
. As a youth he developed an interest in astronomy, but was dissuaded from a career by Charles Piazzi Smyth
Charles Piazzi Smyth
Charles Piazzi Smyth , was Astronomer Royal for Scotland from 1846 to 1888, well-known for many innovations in astronomy and his pyramidological and metrological studies of the Great Pyramid of Giza....
, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland
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.The following have served as Astronomers Royal for Scotland:* 1834–1844 Thomas Henderson...
. From 1877 until 1881 he served as an assistant teacher at the North School, in Wick, Scotland
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
.
He emigrated to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1883, where he took a teaching position at the Lovedale Missionary Institution. (He would later serve as acting Principal at the institute, then Principal at Lovedale Training School.) The following year he was married to Elizabeth Dunnett. The couple would have three children.
In 1894 he received a F.R.A.S., then a F.R.S.E. in 1898. He was awarded a Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
from the University of the Cape of Good Hope
University of the Cape of Good Hope
The University of the Cape of Good Hope, renamed the University of South Africa in 1916, was created by Act 16 of 1873 of the Cape of Good Hope Parliament. Modelled on the University of London, it offered examinations but not tuition, and had the power to confer degrees upon successful examination...
in 1899.
In South Africa he pursued his interest in astronomy, first measuring the parallax
Parallax
Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. The term is derived from the Greek παράλλαξις , meaning "alteration"...
and proper motion
Proper motion
The proper motion of a star is its angular change in position over time as seen from the center of mass of the solar system. It is measured in seconds of arc per year, arcsec/yr, where 3600 arcseconds equal one degree. This contrasts with radial velocity, which is the time rate of change in...
of Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus...
and Beta Centauri
Beta Centauri
Beta Centauri , also known as Hadar or Agena, is the second brightest star in the constellation Centaurus and the tenth brightest star in the night sky. Beta Centauri is a B1 III blue-white giant star that the astrometric Hipparcos satellite calculates as about 161 parsecs or 525 light-years from...
. He then became a prolific observer of variable stars, particularly those that were members of a binary system. He continued his observations for over thirty years, and pioneered the study of close binary systems. He published over 100 works on these topics. Between 1891 and 1920 he made over 250,000 observations of 98 variable stars.
In 1913 he served as president of the S.A.A.A.S.
Much of his work was communicated through Edward C. Pickering, the director of the Harvard College Observatory. However, with the death of Pickering in 1919 he ceased further research. Instead he began to focus on politics and race relations in South Africa. The Prime Minister Jan Smuts
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
appointed him as a senator to represent the interests of native Africans on the Native Affairs Commission. Later in 1925, however, he did serve as the South African delegate to the I.A.U.
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
general
assembly.
The crater Roberts
Roberts (crater)
Roberts is a lunar impact crater that is located in the far northern latitudes on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the east-southeast of the crater Karpinskiy, and to the northwest of Sommerfeld. To the north is Thiessen....
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is co-named for him and Sir Isaac Roberts
Isaac Roberts
Isaac Roberts was a Welsh engineer and business man best known for his work as an amateur astronomer, pioneering the field of astrophotography of nebulae. He was a member of the Liverpool Astronomical Society in England and was a fellow of the Royal Geological Society...
.
External links
- http://www.saao.ac.za/assa/html/his-astr_-_roberts_aw.htmlRoberts, Alexander William DoctorDoctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
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