Edward James Stone
Encyclopedia
Edward James Stone was an English
astronomer
.
He was born in Notting Hill
, London
to Roger and Elizabeth Stone. Educated at the City of London School
, he obtained a studentship at King's College London
, and in 1856 a scholarship at Queens' College, Cambridge
where he graduated as fifth wrangler in 1859, and was immediately elected fellow of his college. The following year he succeeded the Rev. Robert Main
as chief assistant at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and at once undertook the fundamental task of improving astronomical constants. The most important of these, the sun
's mean parallax
, was at that time subject to considerable uncertainty.
He obtained a value for the solar parallax by observations of Mars
in 1860 and 1862. He later refined his estimate by examining observations of the transit of Venus
of 1769. He also studied the lunar parallax, and determined the mass of the Moon
, and obtained a value for the constant of nutation
.
He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1869, and on the resignation of Sir Thomas Maclear
in 1870 he was appointed Her Majesty's astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope
. His first task on taking up this post was the reduction and publication of a large mass of observations left by his predecessor, from a selected portion of which (those made 1856–1860) he compiled a catalogue of 1,159 stars. His principal work was, however, a catalogue of 12,441 stars to the 7th magnitude between the South Pole
and 25°S declination, which was practically finished by the end of 1878 and published in 1881.
Shortly after the death of Main on May 9, 1878, Stone was appointed to succeed him as Radcliffe Observer at Oxford, and he left the Cape on May 27, 1879. At Oxford he extended the Cape observations of stars to the 7th magnitude from 25°S declination to the equator
, and collected the results in the Radcliffe catalogue for 1890, which contains the places of 6,424 stars.
Stone observed the transit of Venus
of 1874 at the Cape, and organized the government expeditions for the corresponding event in 1882. He was elected President of the Royal Astronomical Society
(1882–1884), and he was the first to recognize the importance of the old observations accumulated at the Radcliffe Observatory by Hornsby
, Robertson
and Rigaud
. He successfully observed the total solar eclipse
of August 8, 1896 at Novaya Zemlya
, and intended a voyage to India
for the eclipse of 1898, but died suddenly at the Radcliffe Observatory
. The number of his astronomical publications exceeds 150, but his reputation depends mainly on his earlier work at Greenwich
and his two great star catalogues—the Cape catalogue for 1880 and the Radcliffe catalogue for 1890.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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 Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Roger and Elizabeth Stone. Educated at the City of London School
City of London School
The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
, he obtained a studentship at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, and in 1856 a scholarship at Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
where he graduated as fifth wrangler in 1859, and was immediately elected fellow of his college. The following year he succeeded the Rev. Robert Main
Robert Main
The Reverend Robert Main was an English astronomer.Born in Kent, the eldest son of Thomas Main, Robert Main attended school in Portsea before studying mathematics at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he graduated as sixth wrangler in 1834...
as chief assistant at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and at once undertook the fundamental task of improving astronomical constants. The most important of these, the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
's mean 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"...
, was at that time subject to considerable uncertainty.
He obtained a value for the solar parallax by observations of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
in 1860 and 1862. He later refined his estimate by examining observations of the transit of Venus
Transit of Venus
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, becoming visible against the solar disk. During a transit, Venus can be seen from Earth as a small black disk moving across the face of the Sun...
of 1769. He also studied the lunar parallax, and determined the mass of 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...
, and obtained a value for the constant of nutation
Nutation
Nutation is a rocking, swaying, or nodding motion in the axis of rotation of a largely axially symmetric object, such as a gyroscope, planet, or bullet in flight, or as an intended behavior of a mechanism...
.
He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
-History:In the early years, more than one medal was often awarded in a year, but by 1833 only one medal was being awarded per year. This caused a problem when Neptune was discovered in 1846, because many felt an award should jointly be made to John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier...
in 1869, and on the resignation of Sir Thomas Maclear
Thomas Maclear
Sir Thomas Maclear was an Irish-born South African astronomer who became Her Majesty's astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope....
in 1870 he was appointed Her Majesty's astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
. His first task on taking up this post was the reduction and publication of a large mass of observations left by his predecessor, from a selected portion of which (those made 1856–1860) he compiled a catalogue of 1,159 stars. His principal work was, however, a catalogue of 12,441 stars to the 7th magnitude between the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
and 25°S declination, which was practically finished by the end of 1878 and published in 1881.
Shortly after the death of Main on May 9, 1878, Stone was appointed to succeed him as Radcliffe Observer at Oxford, and he left the Cape on May 27, 1879. At Oxford he extended the Cape observations of stars to the 7th magnitude from 25°S declination to the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
, and collected the results in the Radcliffe catalogue for 1890, which contains the places of 6,424 stars.
Stone observed the transit of Venus
Transit of Venus
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, becoming visible against the solar disk. During a transit, Venus can be seen from Earth as a small black disk moving across the face of the Sun...
of 1874 at the Cape, and organized the government expeditions for the corresponding event in 1882. He was elected President of the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
(1882–1884), and he was the first to recognize the importance of the old observations accumulated at the Radcliffe Observatory by Hornsby
Thomas Hornsby
Thomas Hornsby FRS was a British astronomer and mathematician.Hornsby became a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford in 1760....
, Robertson
Abraham Robertson
Abraham or Abram Robertson , was a Scottish mathematician and astronomer. He held the Savilian Chair of Geometry at the University of Oxford from 1797 to 1809....
and Rigaud
Stephen Peter Rigaud
Stephen Peter Rigaud was an English mathematical historian and astronomer: He was a Fellow of Exeter College from 1794 to 1810, held the Savilian Chair of Geometry at the University of Oxford from 1810 to 1827, the Savilian Professor of Astronomy from 1827 to 1839.-Published works:* Historical...
. He successfully observed the total solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
of August 8, 1896 at Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
, and intended a voyage to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for the eclipse of 1898, but died suddenly at the Radcliffe Observatory
Radcliffe Observatory
Radcliffe Observatory was the astronomical observatory of Oxford University from 1773 until 1934, when the Radcliffe Trustees sold it and erected a new observatory in Pretoria, South Africa. It is a grade I listed building.- History :...
. The number of his astronomical publications exceeds 150, but his reputation depends mainly on his earlier work at Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
and his two great star catalogues—the Cape catalogue for 1880 and the Radcliffe catalogue for 1890.