Harold Spencer Jones
| Sir Harold Spencer Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 March 1890 Kensington, London, England |
| Died | 3 November 1960 (aged 70) |
| Known for | Astronomer Royal Quote: "Space travel is bunk" |
Sir Harold Spencer Jones KBE FRS[1] (29 March 1890 Kensington, London – 3 November 1960)[2] was an English astronomer. Although born "Jones", his surname became "Spencer Jones".[3]
In 1913 he became Chief Assistant at the Royal Greenwich Observatory. In 1933 he became Astronomer Royal. He was president of the International Astronomical Union from 1945 to 1948.
He determined the solar parallax from observations of 433 Eros during its close approach in 1930–1931.
Spencer Jones's successor as Astronomer Royal was Richard Woolley, who on taking up the position in 1956 responded to a question from the press by saying "Space travel is utter bilge".[4] Similarly, it is often stated that Spencer Jones himself had a strong disbelief in the practicalities of space flight, and that he famously said "space travel is bunk" only two weeks before the Sputnik launch in October 1957. However, there is no evidence that he did in fact say this, then or at any other time.[citation needed].
[edit] Honours and awards
Awards
- Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1943)
- Royal Medal (1943)
- Bruce Medal (1949)
Named after him
- The crater Spencer Jones on the Moon
- The crater Jones on Mars
- Asteroid 3282 Spencer Jones
[edit] References
- ^ Woolley, R. V. D. R. (1961). "Harold Spencer Jones. 1890-1960". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 7: 136–126. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1961.0011.
- ^ GRO Register of Births: JUN 1890 1a 111 KENSINGTON - Harold Spencer Jones (forenames = Harold Spencer, surname = Jones)
- ^ Smart, W.M. (June 1961). "Sir Harold Spencer Jones, 1890-1960". Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada 55 (3): 117. Bibcode 1961JRASC..55..117S. Bibl code:1961JRASC..55..117S. http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1961JRASC..55..117S. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ^ Morgan, C. and Langford D.: Facts and Fallacies, Webb & Bower, 1981
[edit] External links
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- 1890 births
- 1960 deaths
- Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge
- Astronomers Royal
- English astronomers
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Royal Medal winners
- Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
- People from Kensington
- 20th-century astronomers
- Presenters of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
