William Rutter Dawes
Encyclopedia
William Rutter Dawes was an English
astronomer
.
Dawes was born in West Sussex
, the son of William Dawes, also an astronomer, who travelled to the colony of New South Wales
on the First Fleet
in 1788.
Dawes was a clergyman who made extensive measurements of double star
s as well as observations of planet
s. He was a friend of William Lassell
. He was nicknamed "eagle eye". He set up his private observatory at his home in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire
. One of his telescopes, an eight-inch refractor by Cooke, survives at the Cambridge Observatory
where it is known as the Thorrowgood Telescope.
He made extensive drawings of Mars
during its 1864 opposition. In 1867, Richard Anthony Proctor
made a map of Mars based on these drawings.
He won the Gold Medal
of the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1855.
Crater
s on Mars and on the Moon
are named after him, as is a gap within Saturn
's C Ring.
An optical
phenomenon, the Dawes limit
, is named for him.
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...
.
Dawes was born in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, the son of William Dawes, also an astronomer, who travelled to the colony of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
on the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
in 1788.
Dawes was a clergyman who made extensive measurements of double star
Double star
In observational astronomy, a double star is a pair of stars that appear close to each other in the sky as seen from Earth when viewed through an optical telescope. This can happen either because the pair forms a binary star, i.e...
s as well as observations of 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. He was a friend of William Lassell
William Lassell
William Lassell FRS was an English merchant and astronomer.Born in Bolton and educated in Rochdale after the death of his father, he was apprenticed from 1814 to 1821 to a merchant in Liverpool. He then made his fortune as a beer brewer, which enabled him to indulge his interest in astronomy...
. He was nicknamed "eagle eye". He set up his private observatory at his home in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire
Haddenham, Buckinghamshire
Haddenham is a large village and is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. Its estimated population in 2011 is 8,385 It is about south-west of Aylesbury and north-east of Thame.-History:...
. One of his telescopes, an eight-inch refractor by Cooke, survives at the Cambridge Observatory
Cambridge Observatory
Cambridge Observatory is an astronomical observatory at the University of Cambridge in the East of England. It was first established in 1823 and is now part of the site of the Institute of Astronomy...
where it is known as the Thorrowgood Telescope.
He made extensive drawings of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
during its 1864 opposition. In 1867, Richard Anthony Proctor
Richard Anthony Proctor
Richard Anthony Proctor was an English astronomer.He is best remembered for having produced one of the earliest maps of Mars in 1867 from 27 drawings by the English observer William Rutter Dawes....
made a map of Mars based on these drawings.
He won the Gold Medal
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...
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 1855.
Crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
s on Mars and 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...
are named after him, as is a gap within Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
's C Ring.
An optical
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
phenomenon, the Dawes limit
Dawes limit
Dawes' limit is a formula to express the maximum resolving power of a microscope or telescope. It is so named for its discoverer, W. R. Dawes, although it is also credited to Lord Rayleigh.The formula takes different forms depending on the units....
, is named for him.
External links
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1855, 15, 148 - Awarding of RAS gold medal
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1869, 29, 116 - Obituary
- The Observatory, 1913, 36, 419 - Brief biography