William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse
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The Earl of Rosse KP PRS |
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William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse
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| Born |
17 June 1800 York |
| Died | 31 October 1867 (aged 67) Monkstown, County Dublin |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Known for | telescope |
| Notable awards | Royal Medal (1851) |
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse KP PRS (17 June 1800 – 31 October 1867) was an Anglo-Irish astronomer who had several telescopes built. His 72-inch telescope, built in 1845 and colloquially known as the "Leviathan of Parsonstown", was the world's largest telescope, in terms of aperture size, until the early 20th century. From 1807 until 1841, he was styled as Baron Oxmantown.
He was born in Yorkshire, England, in the city of York, the son of a future Irish peer. He was educated, as Lord Oxmantown, at Trinity College, Dublin, and Oxford University's Magdalen College, graduating with first-class honours in mathematics in 1822. He inherited an earldom and a large estate in King's County (now County Offaly) in Ireland when his father, Lawrence, 2nd Earl of Rosse, died in 1841.
Lord Rosse married Mary Field, daughter of John Wilmer Field, on 14 April 1836. They had a total of thirteen children, but only four sons survived to adulthood:
In addition to his astronomical interests, Rosse served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for King's County from 1821 to 1834, president of the British Association in 1843–1844, an Irish representative peer after 1845, president of the Royal Society (1848–1854), and chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin (1862–1867).
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