William Sadler Franks
Encyclopedia
William Sadler Franks was a British
astronomer
.
He published a catalogue of the colors of 3890 stars.
In 1910 he was hired by F. J. Hanbury (of the Allan and Hanbury firm) to work as an observer at Hanbury's private Brockhurst Observatory at East Grinstead
in Sussex
. He continued his studies of the colors of stars there, and also made micrometer measurements of double star
s. In 1923 he won the Jackson-Gwilt Medal
of the Royal Astronomical Society
.
One of the other observers who used the Brockhurst Observatory with Franks was a teenage Patrick Moore
(fourteen years old at Franks's death).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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 published a catalogue of the colors of 3890 stars.
In 1910 he was hired by F. J. Hanbury (of the Allan and Hanbury firm) to work as an observer at Hanbury's private Brockhurst Observatory at East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. He continued his studies of the colors of stars there, and also made micrometer 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. In 1923 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
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...
.
One of the other observers who used the Brockhurst Observatory with Franks was a teenage Patrick Moore
Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter of the subject, and who is credited as having done more than any other person to raise the profile of...
(fourteen years old at Franks's death).
External links
- http://www.shastro.org.uk/docs/sha_nov2002_lo.pdf