Robert Blair (astronomer)
Robert Blair (* approx. 1748 in Garvald , East Lothian , † December 22, 1828 in Westlock , Berwickshire ) was a Scottish astronomer .
Robert Blair was the first Regius Professor of Astronomy at Edinburgh University . He constructed the first aplanatic lens and also introduced this term. That was an important step in eliminating the optical aberrations . He also experimented with hollow lenses, which he filled with various solutions.
In 1786 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh .
Publications
- Robert Blair MD: Experiments and Observations on the Unequal Refrangibility of Light. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Vol. 3 (1794), Physikalische Klasse, pp. 3-76 ( Google Books )
- Robert Blair MD: Description of a new type of achromatic telescope, or so-called aplanatic telescope, and development of the reasons on which they are based. Annalen der Physik, Volume 6, Issue 2 (1800), pp. 129–148 ( limited preview )
Web links
- Short biography (English) ( Memento of 22 March 2016 Internet Archive )
- AM Clerke: Blair, Robert, MD, Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 5, p. 166 ( transcript from Wikisource )
- CD Waterston, A. Macmillan Shearer: Former Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh. ( PDF 1.6 MB )
Individual evidence
- ^ Biographical Index: Former RSE Fellows 1783–2002. Royal Society of Edinburgh, accessed October 9, 2019 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Blair, Robert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1748 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Garvald , East Lothian |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 22, 1828 |
| Place of death | Westlock , Berwickshire |