Colin Stanley Gum
Encyclopedia
Colin Stanley Gum was an Australia
n astronomer
who catalogued emission nebula
e in the southern sky at the Mount Stromlo Observatory
using wide field photography. Gum published his findings in 1955 in a study entitled A study of diffuse southern H-alpha nebulae which presented a catalog, now known as the Gum catalog
, of 85 nebulae or nebular complexes. Gum 12, a huge area of nebulosity in the direction of the constellations Puppis
and Vela
, was later named the Gum Nebula
in his honour. Gum was part of the team, whose number included Frank John Kerr
and Gart Westerhout
, that determined the precise position of the neutral hydrogen plane in space.
Gum was appointed Head of the Observational Optical Astronomy programme at the University of Sydney
in 1959. He died in a skiing accident at Zermatt
, Switzerland
the following year.
The crater Gum
on the Moon
is named after him. An obituary article on Gum appears in the Australian Journal of Science (Vol. 23, no. 4, 1960).
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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...
who catalogued emission nebula
Emission nebula
An emission nebula is a cloud of ionized gas emitting light of various colors. The most common source of ionization is high-energy photons emitted from a nearby hot star...
e in the southern sky at the Mount Stromlo Observatory
Mount Stromlo Observatory
Mount Stromlo Observatory located just outside of Canberra, Australia, is part of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University .-History:...
using wide field photography. Gum published his findings in 1955 in a study entitled A study of diffuse southern H-alpha nebulae which presented a catalog, now known as the Gum catalog
Gum catalog
The Gum catalog is an astronomical catalog of 84 emission nebulae in the southern sky. It was made by the Australian astronomer Colin Stanley Gum at Mount Stromlo Observatory using wide field photography. Gum published his findings in 1955 in a study entitled A study of diffuse southern H-alpha...
, of 85 nebulae or nebular complexes. Gum 12, a huge area of nebulosity in the direction of the constellations Puppis
Puppis
Puppis is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is the Latin word for the poop deck of a ship, and Puppis represents the deck of the ship and its deckhouses...
and Vela
Vela (constellation)
Vela is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the sails of a ship, and it was originally part of a larger constellation, the ship Argo Navis, which was later divided into three parts, the others being Carina and Puppis.-Stars:...
, was later named the Gum Nebula
Gum Nebula
Gum Nebula is an emission nebula that can be found in the southern constellations Vela and Puppis. It lies roughly 400 parsecs from the Earth. Hard to distinguish, it is believed to be the greatly expanded remains of a supernova that took place about a million years ago...
in his honour. Gum was part of the team, whose number included Frank John Kerr
Frank John Kerr
Frank John Kerr was an Australian astronomer and physicist who made contributions to human understanding of the galactic structure of the Milky Way. Born in St Albans to Australian parents, Kerr returned with his family to Australia after the completion of World War I...
and Gart Westerhout
Gart Westerhout
Gart Westerhout is a Dutch astronomer. Well before completing his university studies at Leiden, he had already become well-established internationally as a radio astronomer in The Netherlands, specializing in studies of radio sources and the Milky Way Galaxy based on observations of radio...
, that determined the precise position of the neutral hydrogen plane in space.
Gum was appointed Head of the Observational Optical Astronomy programme at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in 1959. He died in a skiing accident at Zermatt
Zermatt
Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
the following year.
The crater Gum
Gum (crater)
Gum is a lunar crater that is located near the southeastern limb of the Moon, and is viewed nearly from the side from Earth. It lies along the western edge of the irregular Mare Australe, to the northeast of the crater Hamilton...
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...
is named after him. An obituary article on Gum appears in the Australian Journal of Science (Vol. 23, no. 4, 1960).