Robert Stawell Ball

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Robert Stawell Ball
Sir Robert Ball (1905) by Leslie Ward

Sir Robert Stawell Ball (born July 1, 1840 in Dublin , † November 25, 1913 in Cambridge ) was an Irish astronomer , mathematician and author of popular science books.

Live and act

Robert Stawell Ball was the son of Robert Ball (1802-1857) in Dublin. His father was a naturalist and president of the Geological Society of Ireland . Robert Stawell Ball attended Tarvin Hall School and then studied at Trinity College Dublin .

In 1865 he became a private tutor for the children of Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse (1840-1908), for which he got access to the telescope and observatory of William Parsons (1800-1867) in Parsonstown in return . At the time, the Parsons telescope was the largest of its kind in the world. During this time Ball observed several fog objects; he discovered four new spiral galaxies . In addition, he helped with mathematical means to make the telescope even more precise.

William Parsons died in 1867; Ball became Professor of Mathematics ( Professor of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics ) at the Royal College of Science at Dublin University . In 1874 he was Andrews Professor of Astronomy at the University of Dublin and was also awarded the title of Royal Astronomer of Ireland . He held this position until 1898. In 1892 he became professor of astronomy and geometry ("Lowndean Professor of Astronomy") at the University of Cambridge and director of the university's observatory. As a professor of astronomy, he succeeded the famous astronomer John Couch Adams (1819-1892), who discovered the planet Neptune . He held the post until his death in 1913.

In 1873 he was accepted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London . He became a member of the Royal Irish Academy and was secretary from 1877 to 1880 and vice-president elected from 1885 to 1892. In 1889 he was accepted as an Honorary Fellow to the Royal Society of Edinburgh . He was also President of the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland (1890-1893), the Royal Astronomical Society (1897-1899) and the Mathematical Association (1899-1900).

Ball wrote a number of successful popular science books on astronomy. His main interest was mathematics; he devoted a large part of his free time to his " screw theory " .

Works

  • Experimental Mechanics . 1871.
  • The Theory of Screws: A Study in the Dynamics of a Rigid Body . 1876.
  • A Story of the Heavens . 1886.
  • The Story of the Sun . 1893.
  • A Treatise on the Theory of Screws . 1900.
  • A Treatise on Spherical Astronomy . 1908.

Honors

On January 25, 1886 he was ennobled as a Knight Bachelor and from then on carried the suffix "Sir".

In 2004 the asteroid (4809) Robertball was named after him.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Former Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 at rse.org.uk
  2. ↑ Knights and Dames: A – BEC at Leigh Rayment's Peerage
personal data
SURNAME Ball, Robert Stawell
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish astronomer, mathematician and popular science writer
DATE OF BIRTH July 1, 1840
PLACE OF BIRTH Dublin
DATE OF DEATH November 25, 1913
Place of death Cambridge