Roscoe Frank Sanford
Encyclopedia
Roscoe Frank Sanford was an American
astronomer
.
He was born in Faribault, Minnesota
, the eldest of five children of Frank W. Sanford and his wife Alberta Nichols. After an early education in his home town he attended the University of Minnesota
, where he received an A.B.
in 1905. He was also a runner up for a Rhodes scholarship
.
He taught High School
students for a year then became an assistant at the Lick Observatory
. The Carnegie Institute
of Washington approved plans by Lewis Boss
for an observation station in South America
, and Roscoe Sanford was selected to travel there as an assistant. The nine-man group spent nearly two years making observations of the brightest-magnitude stars in the southern hemisphere, with Roscoe making telescope
observations and meridian-circle
readings.
After returning to the United States, he went back to South America in 1911 as an assistant at Santiago, Chile
. There he developed an interest in stellar spectra using photography. Among his work was measurements of velocities of the Magellanic Clouds
, the first such study of extra-galactic velocities.
He returned to Lick Observatory
in 1915, and was granted the Martin Kellogg Fellowship until 1916 then the Lick Fellowship up to 1917. He was awarded his Ph.D.
in 1917 from the University of California
. The same year he was married to Mabel Aline Dyer. The couple would have five children: Jane, Eleanor, Wallace, Allan and Marguerite.
Coincidently, his greatgranddaughter, Kelsey, was born on what would have been his 110th birthday in Michigan.
Dr. Sanford spent a short time working at the Dudley Observatory
, then joined the staff of the Mount Wilson Observatory
. He would remain there for much of the remainder of his career, retiring in 1949. He then spent two years on classified research before returning to Mount Wilson where he continued to contribute until 1956.
During his career he published over sixty papers, many of them dealing with the spectra of spectroscopic binaries, variable star
s, and Cepheid variable
s, including radial velocity
measurements. His most significant contribution was to the study of R- and N-class stars
belonging to the cool red dwarf
type (later reclassified as Carbon star
s). He published an atlas of the spectra for late-type Carbon stars, and also determined the specral features of the isotope Carbon-13
.
In 1944 he was president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
, and he served on two of the commissions (29 and 30) of the International Astronomical Union
. He was literate in Spanish
and wrote two papers in that language.
The crater Sanford
on the Moon
is named after him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 Faribault, Minnesota
Faribault, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,818 people, 7,472 households, and 4,946 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,644.8 people per square mile . There were 7,668 housing units at an average density of 605.8 per square mile...
, the eldest of five children of Frank W. Sanford and his wife Alberta Nichols. After an early education in his home town he attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, where he received an A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1905. He was also a runner up for a Rhodes scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
.
He taught High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students for a year then became an assistant at the Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA...
. The Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science is an organization in the United States established to support scientific research....
of Washington approved plans by Lewis Boss
Lewis Boss
-Life:He was born in Providence, Rhode Island and attended secondary school at the Lapham Institute in North Scituate and the New Hampton Institution in New Hampshire. In 1870 he graduated from Dartmouth College, then went to work as a clerk for the U.S. Government. He served as an assistant...
for an observation station in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and Roscoe Sanford was selected to travel there as an assistant. The nine-man group spent nearly two years making observations of the brightest-magnitude stars in the southern hemisphere, with Roscoe making telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
observations and meridian-circle
Meridian circle
The meridian circle, transit circle, or transit telescope is an instrument for observing the time of stars passing the meridian, at the same time measuring its angular distance from the zenith...
readings.
After returning to the United States, he went back to South America in 1911 as an assistant at Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. There he developed an interest in stellar spectra using photography. Among his work was measurements of velocities of the Magellanic Clouds
Magellanic Clouds
The two Magellanic Clouds are irregular dwarf galaxies visible in the southern hemisphere, which are members of our Local Group and are orbiting our Milky Way galaxy...
, the first such study of extra-galactic velocities.
He returned to Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA...
in 1915, and was granted the Martin Kellogg Fellowship until 1916 then the Lick Fellowship up to 1917. He was awarded his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1917 from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
. The same year he was married to Mabel Aline Dyer. The couple would have five children: Jane, Eleanor, Wallace, Allan and Marguerite.
Coincidently, his greatgranddaughter, Kelsey, was born on what would have been his 110th birthday in Michigan.
Dr. Sanford spent a short time working at the Dudley Observatory
Dudley Observatory
Dudley Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Along with Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany Law School, Albany Medical College, the Graduate College of Union University, and Union College, it is one of the constituent entities of Union...
, then joined the staff of the Mount Wilson Observatory
Mount Wilson Observatory
The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles...
. He would remain there for much of the remainder of his career, retiring in 1949. He then spent two years on classified research before returning to Mount Wilson where he continued to contribute until 1956.
During his career he published over sixty papers, many of them dealing with the spectra of spectroscopic binaries, 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...
s, and Cepheid variable
Cepheid variable
A Cepheid is a member of a class of very luminous variable stars. The strong direct relationship between a Cepheid variable's luminosity and pulsation period, secures for Cepheids their status as important standard candles for establishing the Galactic and extragalactic distance scales.Cepheid...
s, including radial velocity
Radial velocity
Radial velocity is the velocity of an object in the direction of the line of sight . In astronomy, radial velocity most commonly refers to the spectroscopic radial velocity...
measurements. His most significant contribution was to the study of R- and N-class stars
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
belonging to the cool red dwarf
Red dwarf
According to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a red dwarf star is a small and relatively cool star, of the main sequence, either late K or M spectral type....
type (later reclassified as Carbon star
Carbon star
A carbon star is a late-type star similar to a red giant whose atmosphere contains more carbon than oxygen; the two elements combine in the upper layers of the star, forming carbon monoxide, which consumes all the oxygen in the atmosphere, leaving carbon atoms free to form other carbon compounds,...
s). He published an atlas of the spectra for late-type Carbon stars, and also determined the specral features of the isotope Carbon-13
Carbon-13
Carbon-13 is a natural, stable isotope of carbon and one of the environmental isotopes. It makes up about 1.1% of all natural carbon on Earth.- Detection by mass spectrometry :...
.
In 1944 he was president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...
, and he served on two of the commissions (29 and 30) of the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
. He was literate in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and wrote two papers in that language.
The crater Sanford
Sanford (crater)
Sanford is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northern latitudes on the Moon's far side. It lies to the south-southeast of the crater Klute, and just to the west-northwest of Teisserenc. To the southwest lies Joule....
on 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...
is named after him.