Alexander Wilson (mathematician)

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For other people named Alexander Wilson, see Alexander Wilson (disambiguation).

Alexander Wilson (1714 - October 18, 1786) was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, and educated at the University of St. Andrews. He was appointed to the chair of astronomy at the University of Glasgow in 1760. Wilson primarily made contributions to astronomy and meteorology, and (erroneously) posited that the entire universe rotated around its centre. He discovered that sunspots viewed near the edge of the Sun's visible disk appear depressed below the solar surface, a phenomenon still referred to as the Wilson effect. Wilson made the first recorded uses of kites in meteorology. He was one of the founding members of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.