John Francis Skjellerup
Encyclopedia
John Francis Skjellerup (16 May 1875 – 6 January 1952) was an Australia
n who spent about a decade working as a telegraphist
in South Africa
, and was an astronomer
.
Some sources give his name as James Francis Skjellerup; in any case, apparently he preferred to be known as Frank. His father Peder Jensen Skjellerup was Danish
and died when he was young; his mother was Margaret Williamson, born in England
. He was born in Cobden
, Victoria, Australia.
Trained as a telegraphist, he went to South Africa when that country needed telegraphists after the Second Boer War
. Apparently he was an excellent golfer as well as an astronomer. He married his wife Mary Peterson (South African) and returned with her to Australia in 1923; she died in 1950 and there were no children.
He took up astronomy in South Africa and discovered or co-discovered various comets in both South Africa and Australia, including the periodic comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup
in South Africa and the very bright Skjellerup-Maristany (C/1927 X1) (visible mostly from the southern hemisphere
) in Australia.
In addition to comets, he was also a variable star
observer.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n who spent about a decade working as a telegraphist
Telegraphist
Telegraphist is an operator who uses the morse code in order to communicate by land or radio lines. Telegraphists were indispensable at sea in the early day of Wireless Telegraphy. During the Great War the Royal Navy enlisted many volunteers as Telegraphists. Telegraphists are also called Telegraph...
in 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...
, and was an 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...
.
Some sources give his name as James Francis Skjellerup; in any case, apparently he preferred to be known as Frank. His father Peder Jensen Skjellerup was Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and died when he was young; his mother was Margaret Williamson, born in England
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...
. He was born in Cobden
Cobden
Cobden may refer to:Places* Cobden, Victoria, Australia* Cobden, Ontario, Canada* Cobden, New Zealand, a suburb of Greymouth* Cobden, Illinois, United States* Cobden, Minnesota, United StatesOther uses...
, Victoria, Australia.
Trained as a telegraphist, he went to South Africa when that country needed telegraphists after the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. Apparently he was an excellent golfer as well as an astronomer. He married his wife Mary Peterson (South African) and returned with her to Australia in 1923; she died in 1950 and there were no children.
He took up astronomy in South Africa and discovered or co-discovered various comets in both South Africa and Australia, including the periodic comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup
26P/Grigg-Skjellerup
Comet Grigg–Skjellerup is a periodic comet.Discovered in 1902 by John Grigg of New Zealand, and rediscovered in its next appearance in 1922 by John Francis Skjellerup, an Australian then living and working for about two decades in South Africa where he was a founder member of the Astronomical...
in South Africa and the very bright Skjellerup-Maristany (C/1927 X1) (visible mostly from the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
) in Australia.
In addition to comets, he was also a variable star
Variable star
A star is classified as variable if its apparent magnitude as seen from Earth changes over time, whether the changes are due to variations in the star's actual luminosity, or to variations in the amount of the star's light that is blocked from reaching Earth...
observer.