Regius Professor of Astronomy
| Regius Chair of Astronomy University of Glasgow |
|
|---|---|
| Precursor | Regius Professor of Practical Astronomy |
| Formation | 1760 |
| Founder | George III |
| First holder | Alexander Wilson |
| Website | www.gla.ac.uk/physics |
The Regius Chair of Astronomy is a Regius Professorship in the University of Glasgow.
Founded in 1760 with the title Practical Astronomy (and with the office of Observer in the University) the title was changed in 1893.
The first holder of the Chair was famed Scottish astronomer Alexander Wilson, who put forward the theory that the entire universe rotated around its centre (which was later found to be true for galaxies but not the universe), and discovered that sunspots 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, 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.
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, who had moved to Scotland in 1885 as director of the observatory at Dunecht in Aberdeenshire. Becker was popular with students and was thought at the time to have the best-attended astronomy classes in Britain. He retired in 1935.
...
Wikipedia