John Jackson (astronomer)
Encyclopedia
John Jackson was a Scottish
astronomer
.
Born in Paisley
, Renfrewshire
, Scotland
, he was educated at Paisley Grammar School
, studying a range of subjects including the sciences and French and German, but not Latin or Greek, which were compulsory if he intended to sit the entrance examinations for university.
Having excelled at science, in particular chemistry, he decided to try for the entrance exam for Glasgow University in spite of not studying the classics. During the summer of 1903 he studied hard to improve his knowledge of Latin, which saw him pass the university entrance exam sufficiently well to be awarded a £25 bursary.
Graduating in 1907 with a first class honours Master of Arts degree in mathematics and natural philosophy, he was then awarded a fellowship of £100 a year for further study. The following year he undertook a Batchelor of Science degree, again at Glasgow University, with special distinction in mathematics
, natural philosophy
, astronomy
and chemistry
, winning medals in most of these subjects.
Astronomy was studied under the tutelage of Ludwig Becker. Jackson gained a thorough grounding in the fundamental elements of the subject to the extent required for a complete understanding of astronomy. He learned how to use a variety of astronomical instruments, how to correct observations and how to apply mathematical and arithmetical analysis to solve astronomical problems. Becker’s enthusiastic teaching methods must have had a profound influence on Jackson as he then chose to pursue a career in astronomy.
As there seemed to be no possibility of obtaining an appointment in astronomy at Glasgow, Jackson decided to go to Cambridge University, and, after taking the entrance exam, was awarded a major scholarship to study at Trinity College as an ordinary undergraduate in 1909. He already knew as much spherical and dynamic astronomy as was then taught at Cambridge, but was introduced to new subjects including solar physics and astrophysics, whilst also furthering his knowledge of pure and applied mathematics. During his time at Cambridge he was awarded further medals for his work in astronomy.
In 1914 a vacancy as Chief Assistant arose at the Royal Observatory Greenwich and Jackson was selected by the Astronomer Royal, Sir Frank Watson Dyson
. In 1917 Jackson was granted a commission in the Royal Engineers
. He was sent to France to work on sound ranging
, but in the spring of 1918, after the German armies breakthrough and advances, he was sent to the British Fourth Army
as a trigonometrical survey officer, plotting artillery trajectories. His experience of observing and his knowledge of spherical astronomy meant he was suitably qualified to carry out this work, even resorting to observations of the sun to help determine ranges and positions.
Jackson returned from France in 1919 and resumed his duties at Greenwich. The first extensive task he undertook was to prepare for publication all of the observations he had made of double stars, working on this with Herbert Hall Turner
, the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University. Jackson also worked on calculating the rotation of the planet Neptune
revising the accepted notion of a 7 hour rotation to 19 hours with a possible error of 20 percent, not too far from the true figure of 15.8 hours.
In 1933 a vacancy arose for the position of His Majesty’s Astronomer at Cape Observatory, Cape Town
, South Africa
. Jackson was appointed to the post.
Jackson’s first task on arrival at the Cape was to work on the large collection of photographic plates taken by David Gill
of the sky above Cape Town, in order to derive the proper motions of these stars. He published these in two volumes, which covered the motions and spectral types of over 41,000 stars.
Most of Jackson’s time at the Cape was taken up with the determination of stellar parallax
, a programme that had been started by his predecessor, Harold Spencer Jones
. Jackson worked on this for a number of years, taking as many as 1000 photographic plates of the sky in a year from which to work from. Jackson obtained results for 1600 stars, published in three volumes of the Cape Annals. As a result of his work the knowledge of stellar parallaxes for the southern hemisphere became better known than that of the northern.
Throughout his career Jackson took part in four expeditions to observe a total eclipse
of the Sun. The Greenwich observatory had planned to send an expedition to South Africa to observe the eclipse of the 1st October 1940, but the outbreak of the Second World War made it impossible to send observers. Equipment was sent instead and Jackson took charge of an expedition from the Cape Observatory to the observing site, where the total eclipse was successfully viewed.
Jackson retired from the Cape Observatory in 1950, returning to England, where he settled with his wife, Mary Beatrice Marshall, in Ewell, Surrey. In 1952 John Jackson was awarded The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
for his work on stellar parallaxes and his contributions to the general problems of star positions and proper motions. Further accolades awarded include the Gill Medal of the Astronomical Society of South Africa in 1958 and he was made a CBE in 1950. He held the posts of President of the Royal Society of South Africa in 1949 and was President of the Royal Astronomical Society
from 1953 to 1955. After retiring he did not leave his passion for astronomy behind, making a trip to Stromatad in Sweden to observe the total eclipse of 30 June 1954. Many of Jackson’s medals are on display at Coats Observatory, Paisley
.
Ill health plagued his later years and on 9 December 1958 John Jackson died after a brief illness.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
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...
.
Born in Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, Scotland
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...
, he was educated at Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School, known for a period following 1896 as the Paisley Grammar School and William B. Barbour Academy, is a non-denominational state comprehensive secondary school in Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 and was formerly a selective...
, studying a range of subjects including the sciences and French and German, but not Latin or Greek, which were compulsory if he intended to sit the entrance examinations for university.
Having excelled at science, in particular chemistry, he decided to try for the entrance exam for Glasgow University in spite of not studying the classics. During the summer of 1903 he studied hard to improve his knowledge of Latin, which saw him pass the university entrance exam sufficiently well to be awarded a £25 bursary.
Graduating in 1907 with a first class honours Master of Arts degree in mathematics and natural philosophy, he was then awarded a fellowship of £100 a year for further study. The following year he undertook a Batchelor of Science degree, again at Glasgow University, with special distinction in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, natural philosophy
Natural philosophy
Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature , is a term applied to the study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, winning medals in most of these subjects.
Astronomy was studied under the tutelage of Ludwig Becker. Jackson gained a thorough grounding in the fundamental elements of the subject to the extent required for a complete understanding of astronomy. He learned how to use a variety of astronomical instruments, how to correct observations and how to apply mathematical and arithmetical analysis to solve astronomical problems. Becker’s enthusiastic teaching methods must have had a profound influence on Jackson as he then chose to pursue a career in astronomy.
As there seemed to be no possibility of obtaining an appointment in astronomy at Glasgow, Jackson decided to go to Cambridge University, and, after taking the entrance exam, was awarded a major scholarship to study at Trinity College as an ordinary undergraduate in 1909. He already knew as much spherical and dynamic astronomy as was then taught at Cambridge, but was introduced to new subjects including solar physics and astrophysics, whilst also furthering his knowledge of pure and applied mathematics. During his time at Cambridge he was awarded further medals for his work in astronomy.
In 1914 a vacancy as Chief Assistant arose at the Royal Observatory Greenwich and Jackson was selected by the Astronomer Royal, Sir Frank Watson Dyson
Frank Watson Dyson
Sir Frank Watson Dyson, KBE, FRS was an English astronomer and Astronomer Royal who is remembered today largely for introducing time signals from Greenwich, England, and for the role he played in testing Einstein's theory of general relativity.- Biography :Dyson was born in Measham, near...
. In 1917 Jackson was granted a commission in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. He was sent to France to work on sound ranging
Sound ranging
In land warfare, sound ranging is a method of determining the coordinates of a hostile artillery battery using data derived from the sound of its guns firing...
, but in the spring of 1918, after the German armies breakthrough and advances, he was sent to the British Fourth Army
British Fourth Army
The Fourth Army was a field army that formed part of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The Fourth Army was formed on 5 February 1916 under the command of General Sir Henry Rawlinson to carry out the main British contribution to the Battle of the Somme.-History:The Fourth...
as a trigonometrical survey officer, plotting artillery trajectories. His experience of observing and his knowledge of spherical astronomy meant he was suitably qualified to carry out this work, even resorting to observations of the sun to help determine ranges and positions.
Jackson returned from France in 1919 and resumed his duties at Greenwich. The first extensive task he undertook was to prepare for publication all of the observations he had made of double stars, working on this with Herbert Hall Turner
Herbert Hall Turner
Herbert Hall Turner was a British astronomer and seismologist.-Biography:Herbert Hall Turner was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Cambridge., In 1884 he accepted the post of Chief Assistant at Greenwich Observatory and stayed there for nine years...
, the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University. Jackson also worked on calculating the rotation of the planet Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
revising the accepted notion of a 7 hour rotation to 19 hours with a possible error of 20 percent, not too far from the true figure of 15.8 hours.
In 1933 a vacancy arose for the position of His Majesty’s Astronomer at Cape Observatory, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, 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...
. Jackson was appointed to the post.
Jackson’s first task on arrival at the Cape was to work on the large collection of photographic plates taken by David Gill
David Gill (astronomer)
Sir David Gill FRS was a Scottish astronomer who is known for measuring astronomical distances, for astrophotography, and for geodesy. He spent much of his career in South Africa.- Life and work :...
of the sky above Cape Town, in order to derive the proper motions of these stars. He published these in two volumes, which covered the motions and spectral types of over 41,000 stars.
Most of Jackson’s time at the Cape was taken up with the determination of stellar parallax
Stellar parallax
Stellar parallax is the effect of parallax on distant stars in astronomy. It is parallax on an interstellar scale, and it can be used to determine the distance of Earth to another star directly with accurate astrometry...
, a programme that had been started by his predecessor, Harold Spencer Jones
Harold Spencer Jones
Sir Harold Spencer Jones KBE FRS was an English astronomer. Although born "Jones", his surname became "Spencer Jones"....
. Jackson worked on this for a number of years, taking as many as 1000 photographic plates of the sky in a year from which to work from. Jackson obtained results for 1600 stars, published in three volumes of the Cape Annals. As a result of his work the knowledge of stellar parallaxes for the southern hemisphere became better known than that of the northern.
Throughout his career Jackson took part in four expeditions to observe a total eclipse
Total Eclipse
A total eclipse is an eclipse where either the Sun is entirely covered by the Moon, or the Earth's shadow entirely covers the Moon.Total Eclipse may also refer to:-Music:* Total Eclipse , a Goa trance music group...
of the Sun. The Greenwich observatory had planned to send an expedition to South Africa to observe the eclipse of the 1st October 1940, but the outbreak of the Second World War made it impossible to send observers. Equipment was sent instead and Jackson took charge of an expedition from the Cape Observatory to the observing site, where the total eclipse was successfully viewed.
Jackson retired from the Cape Observatory in 1950, returning to England, where he settled with his wife, Mary Beatrice Marshall, in Ewell, Surrey. In 1952 John Jackson 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...
for his work on stellar parallaxes and his contributions to the general problems of star positions and proper motions. Further accolades awarded include the Gill Medal of the Astronomical Society of South Africa in 1958 and he was made a CBE in 1950. He held the posts of President of the Royal Society of South Africa in 1949 and was 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...
from 1953 to 1955. After retiring he did not leave his passion for astronomy behind, making a trip to Stromatad in Sweden to observe the total eclipse of 30 June 1954. Many of Jackson’s medals are on display at Coats Observatory, Paisley
Coats Observatory, Paisley
Coats Observatory is one of four public observatories operating in the UK, all of which are sited in Scotland.Coats Observatory is located in Oakshaw Street West, Paisley and was designed by Glasgow architect John Honeyman, with funding coming from local thread manufacturer Thomas Coats...
.
Ill health plagued his later years and on 9 December 1958 John Jackson died after a brief illness.