Thomas George Cowling
Encyclopedia
Thomas George Cowling FRS (17 June 1906 – 16 June 1990) was an English
astronomer
.
Cowling was born in Hackney, London and studied mathematics
at Brasenose College, Oxford
from 1924 to 1930. From 1928 to 1930 he worked under Edward Arthur Milne. In 1929, Milne had no problems left to ask his student to work on and appealed to Sydney Chapman
, who proposed that they work on an article on which he was working that dealt with the Sun
's magnetic field
. Cowling found an error in the paper that invalidated Chapman's results. After Cowling's doctorate, Chapman proposed that they work together.
In 1933 Cowling wrote an article, The magnetic field of sunspots. Joseph Larmor
had worked in this area, arguing that sunspots regenerate themselves through a dynamo
effect. Cowling showed that Larmor's explanation was incorrect. His article assured him of a good reputation in the field of astrophysics
.
During the 1930s, Cowling also worked on stellar structure involving radiation and convection, at the same time as Ludwig Biermann
but independently of him. He constructed a model of star with a convective core and radiative envelope, named the Cowling model by Chandrasekhar
. He also studied magnetic field
s within stars and classified the modes of non-radial oscillation of the body of a star, the basis of the field of helioseismology
. Wilfried Schröder has discussed the relationship between Cowling, Chapman and Alfvén in a paper " Changes of theories of aurora borealis " (Gerlands Beiträge zur Geophysik, 1988). Schröder has had long discussions with Cowling in this subject.
Cowling was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in Mar, 1947. He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1956 and the Bruce Medal
of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1985. He was elected president of the Royal Astronomical Society
from 1965 to 1967. He was also awarded the Hughes Medal
two days before his death.
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...
.
Cowling was born in Hackney, London and studied 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...
at Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
from 1924 to 1930. From 1928 to 1930 he worked under Edward Arthur Milne. In 1929, Milne had no problems left to ask his student to work on and appealed to Sydney Chapman
Sydney Chapman (astronomer)
Sydney Chapman FRS was a British mathematician and geophysicist. His work on the kinetic theory of gases, solar-terrestrial physics, and the Earth's ozone layer has inspired a broad range of research over many decades....
, who proposed that they work on an article on which he was working that dealt with 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 magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
. Cowling found an error in the paper that invalidated Chapman's results. After Cowling's doctorate, Chapman proposed that they work together.
In 1933 Cowling wrote an article, The magnetic field of sunspots. Joseph Larmor
Joseph Larmor
Sir Joseph Larmor , a physicist and mathematician who made innovations in the understanding of electricity, dynamics, thermodynamics, and the electron theory of matter...
had worked in this area, arguing that sunspots regenerate themselves through a dynamo
Dynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
effect. Cowling showed that Larmor's explanation was incorrect. His article assured him of a good reputation in the field of astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
.
During the 1930s, Cowling also worked on stellar structure involving radiation and convection, at the same time as Ludwig Biermann
Ludwig Biermann
Ludwig Franz Benedict Biermann was a German astronomer.He made important contributions to astrophysics and plasma physics...
but independently of him. He constructed a model of star with a convective core and radiative envelope, named the Cowling model by Chandrasekhar
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, FRS ) was an Indian origin American astrophysicist who, with William A. Fowler, won the 1983 Nobel Prize for Physics for key discoveries that led to the currently accepted theory on the later evolutionary stages of massive stars...
. He also studied magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
s within stars and classified the modes of non-radial oscillation of the body of a star, the basis of the field of helioseismology
Helioseismology
Helioseismology is the study of the propagation of wave oscillations, particularly acoustic pressure waves, in the Sun. Unlike seismic waves on Earth, solar waves have practically no shear component . Solar pressure waves are believed to be generated by the turbulence in the convection zone near...
. Wilfried Schröder has discussed the relationship between Cowling, Chapman and Alfvén in a paper " Changes of theories of aurora borealis " (Gerlands Beiträge zur Geophysik, 1988). Schröder has had long discussions with Cowling in this subject.
Cowling was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in Mar, 1947. He won 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 1956 and the Bruce Medal
Bruce Medal
The Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal is awarded every year by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for outstanding lifetime contributions to astronomy. It is named after Catherine Wolfe Bruce, an American patroness of astronomy, and was first awarded in 1898...
of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1985. 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...
from 1965 to 1967. He was also awarded the Hughes Medal
Hughes Medal
The Hughes Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "in recognition of an original discovery in the physical sciences, particularly electricity and magnetism or their applications". Named after David E. Hughes, the medal is awarded with a gift of £1000. The medal was first awarded in 1902 to...
two days before his death.
External links
- Bruce Medal page
- Awarding of RAS gold medal
- Autobiographical article
- nndb tracker
- Oral History interview transcript with Thomas Cowling 22 March 1978, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives