Robert Methven Petrie

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Robert Methven Petrie
Born	(1906-05-15)May 15, 1906 St Andrews, Scotland
Died	April 8, 1966(1966-04-08) (aged 59) Victoria, British Columbia
Fields	astronomy
Institutions	Dominion Astrophysical Observatory

Robert Methven Petrie (May 15, 1906 – April 8, 1966) was a Canadian astronomer.^[1]

He was born in Scotland but came to Canada at the age of five. He grew up in Victoria, British Columbia and studied physics and mathematics at the University of British Columbia. He began working summer jobs at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and became fascinated with astronomy.

He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1932. He taught there until 1935, when he joined the staff of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. In 1951 he became its director.

He extensively studied spectroscopic binaries.

The crater Petrie on the Moon is named after him. The Canadian Astronomical Society established the R. M. Petrie Prize Lecture to honor his astrophysical research.

References

↑ "Obituary: Robert Methven Petrie". Physics Today 19 (8): 95–96. August 1966. doi:10.1063/1.3048428.

External links

Obituaries

Authority control	VIAF: 39152926

Persondata
Name	Petrie, Robert
Alternative names
Short description	Canadian astronomer
Date of birth	May 15, 1906
Place of birth	St Andrews, Scotland
Date of death	April 8, 1966
Place of death	Victoria, British Columbia

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