John Dreyer
Encyclopedia
John Louis Emil Dreyer was a Danish
-Irish
astronomer
.
: his father was the Danish Minister for War and the Navy. He was educated in Copenhagen but in 1874, at the age of 22, he went to Parsonstown, Ireland
. There he worked as the assistant of Lord Rosse
(the son and successor of the Lord Rosse
who built the Leviathan of Parsonstown
telescope).
During 1878 he moved to Dunsink
, the site of the Trinity College Observatory of Dublin University to work for Robert Stawell Ball
. In 1882 he relocated again, this time to Armagh Observatory
, where he served as Director until his retirement in 1916. In 1885 he became a British citizen. In 1916 he and his wife Kate moved to Oxford where Dreyer worked on his 15 volume edition of the works of Tycho Brahe
, the last volume of which was published after his death.
He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1916 and served as the society's president from 1923 until 1925. He died on September 14, 1926.
A crater
on the far side of the Moon is named after him.
of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (based on William Herschel
s Catalogue of Nebulae
), the catalogue numbers of which are still in use, as well as two supplementary Index Catalogues.
Dreyer was also a historian of astronomy. In 1890 he published a biography of Tycho Brahe
, a noted astronomer from his native country, and in his later years he edited Tycho's publications and unpublished correspondence. History of the Planetary Systems from Thales to Kepler (1905), his survey of the history of astronomy, while dated in some respects, is still a good introduction to the subject. It is currently printed with the title A History of Astronomy from Thales to Kepler.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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...
.
Life
He was born Johan Ludvig Emil Dreyer in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
: his father was the Danish Minister for War and the Navy. He was educated in Copenhagen but in 1874, at the age of 22, he went to Parsonstown, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. There he worked as the assistant of Lord Rosse
Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse
Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse KP FRS was the son and successor of the astronomer William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse who built the "Leviathan of Parsonstown" telescope, largest of its day, and his wife, the Countess Rosse , an amateur astronomer and pioneering photographer...
(the son and successor of the Lord Rosse
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, Knight of the Order of St Patrick was an Irish astronomer who had several telescopes built. His 72-inch telescope "Leviathan", built 1845, was the world's largest telescope until the early 20th century.-Life:He was born in Yorkshire, England, in the city of...
who built the Leviathan of Parsonstown
Leviathan of Parsonstown
Leviathan of Parsonstown is the unofficial name of the Rosse six foot telescope. This is a historic reflecting telescope of 72 in aperture, which was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100 in Hooker Telescope in 1917...
telescope).
During 1878 he moved to Dunsink
Dunsink Observatory
The Dunsink Observatory is an astronomical observatory established in 1785 in the townland of Dunsink near the city of Dublin, Ireland.Its most famous director was William Rowan Hamilton, who, amongst other things, discovered quaternions, the first non-commutative algebra, while strolling from the...
, the site of the Trinity College Observatory of Dublin University to work for Robert Stawell Ball
Robert Stawell Ball
Sir Robert Stawell Ball was an Irish astronomer. He worked for Lord Rosse from 1865 to 1867. In 1867 he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. In 1874 Ball was appointed Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Andrews Professor of Astronomy in the University...
. In 1882 he relocated again, this time to Armagh Observatory
Armagh Observatory
Armagh Observatory is a modern astronomical research institute with a rich heritage, based in Armagh, Northern Ireland. Around 25 astronomers are actively studying stellar astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy, and the Earth's climate....
, where he served as Director until his retirement in 1916. In 1885 he became a British citizen. In 1916 he and his wife Kate moved to Oxford where Dreyer worked on his 15 volume edition of the works of Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
, the last volume of which was published after his death.
He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
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...
in 1916 and served as the society's president from 1923 until 1925. He died on September 14, 1926.
A crater
Dreyer (crater)
Dreyer is the remnant of a lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located along the eastern edge of the Mare Marginis, about midway between the craters Ginzel to the north and Erro to the south-southeast....
on the far side of the Moon is named after him.
Works
His major contribution was the monumental New General CatalogueNew General Catalogue
The New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars is a well-known catalogue of deep sky objects in astronomy. It contains 7,840 objects, known as the NGC objects...
of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (based on William Herschel
William Herschel
Sir Frederick William Herschel, KH, FRS, German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel was a German-born British astronomer, technical expert, and composer. Born in Hanover, Wilhelm first followed his father into the Military Band of Hanover, but emigrated to Britain at age 19...
s Catalogue of Nebulae
Catalogue of Nebulae
The Catalogue of Nebulae was first published in 1786 by William Herschel. It was eventually expanded by his son John Herschel into the General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters, and further expanded by J. L. E...
), the catalogue numbers of which are still in use, as well as two supplementary Index Catalogues.
Dreyer was also a historian of astronomy. In 1890 he published a biography of Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
, a noted astronomer from his native country, and in his later years he edited Tycho's publications and unpublished correspondence. History of the Planetary Systems from Thales to Kepler (1905), his survey of the history of astronomy, while dated in some respects, is still a good introduction to the subject. It is currently printed with the title A History of Astronomy from Thales to Kepler.