William Herbert Steavenson
Encyclopedia
William Herbert Steavenson (April 26, 1894 – September 23, 1975) was a British amateur astronomer
.
He lost the vision in his right eye in a childhood accident. In September 1911, while still a schoolboy at Cheltenham College
, he independently discovered the comet
C/1911 S2, but unfortunately for him he did not check his photograph quickly enough and credit went to Ferdinand Quénisset
. Nevertheless, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
in January 1912 whilst still at school. He is believed to have been the youngest Fellow.
He chose medicine as his profession and became a surgeon, but pursued astronomy his entire life and was a skilled observer. He concentrated on variable star
s, planet
s and their satellite
s, and comet
s, and also observed the remnants of old nova
e like Nova Persei 1901
.
From 1957–1959 he served as president of the Royal Astronomical Society, one of the few amateur astronomers to do so. He was also professor of astronomy at Gresham College
.
He won the Jackson-Gwilt Medal
of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1928.
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 lost the vision in his right eye in a childhood accident. In September 1911, while still a schoolboy at Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
, he independently discovered the comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
C/1911 S2, but unfortunately for him he did not check his photograph quickly enough and credit went to Ferdinand Quénisset
Ferdinand Quénisset
Ferdinand Quénisset was a French astronomer.He worked as an observer at Camille Flammarion's private observatory at Juvisy-sur-Orge, France from 1906 to 1951...
. Nevertheless, he was elected a Fellow 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...
in January 1912 whilst still at school. He is believed to have been the youngest Fellow.
He chose medicine as his profession and became a surgeon, but pursued astronomy his entire life and was a skilled observer. He concentrated on 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, planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s and their satellite
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
s, and comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s, and also observed the remnants of old nova
Nova
A nova is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion in a star caused by the accretion of hydrogen on to the surface of a white dwarf star, which ignites and starts nuclear fusion in a runaway manner...
e like Nova Persei 1901
GK Persei
GK Persei was a bright nova occurring in 1901. It reached a maximum magnitude of 0.2, the brightest nova of modern times until Nova Aquilae 1918...
.
From 1957–1959 he served as president of the Royal Astronomical Society, one of the few amateur astronomers to do so. He was also professor of astronomy at Gresham College
Gresham College
Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
.
He won the Jackson-Gwilt Medal
Jackson-Gwilt Medal
The Jackson-Gwilt Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society has been awarded regularly since 1897 for the invention, improvement, or development of astronomical instrumentation or techniques; for achievement in observational astronomy; or for achievement in research into the history of astronomy.The...
of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1928.
Obituaries
- QJRAS 18 (1977) 147
- JBAA 86 (1976) 386– 390