Thomas Gwyn Elger

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thomas Gwyn Empy Elger (27 October 1836 – 9 January 1897) was an English lunar mapper and the first director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association (BAA). Elger was a member of several astronomical associations, such as the Royal Astronomical Society, the short-lived Selenographical Society and the British Astronomical Association. Besides his astronomical work, he was an ardent archaeologist and founded the Bedfordshire Natural History Society and Field Club. He is remembered by the lunar crater Elger.

Biography

He was born in Bedford, where the family had been established for several generations. His father Thomas Gwyn Elger (1794 – 4 April 1841) was an architect and builder. Grandfather, father and son engaged in town politics, and all held the post of mayor.

He studied at University College London and adopted the profession of a civil engineer. He was engaged in several important works, including the Metropolitan Railway and the Severn Valley Railway. His surveys for railway construction in Holstein were put to a stop by the war with Prussia and Austria in 1864.

Soon afterwards he relinquished the active pursuit of his profession and devoted himself to scientific studies. He had developed a strong taste for astronomy already at an early age and erected his first observatory in Bedford. Elger observed with an 8.5 inch reflector. His sketches from 1884 to 1896 are now in the possession of the BAA. He is best known as a careful and indefatigable selenographer, and for this work his artistic skill eminently qualified him.

He is most remembered for his book The Moon: A full Description and Map of its Principal Physical Features. Published in 1895, its maps are still highly regarded by lunar observers due to their uncluttered nature.

The visual brightness of lunar features is expressed in the Elger's Lunar Albedo Scale. This scale had been established in 1791 by the German astronomer Johann Hieronymus Schröter and popularized by Elger.

References

Robert A. Garfinkle: The discovery of the correct birth date for selenographer Thomas Gwyn Empy Elger, Journal of the British Astronomucal Association Vol. 116 No. 2 (April 2006) p. 76
Obituary as Fellow of the RAS: Monthly Notices of the RAS, Vol. 57 (1897) p. 210
Elger, Thomas Gwyn (1838-1897). Accessed 15 May 2005
Bedford Astronomical Society (BAS). Accessed 15 May 2005
LPOD - Lunar Photo of the Day - 28 March 2004. Accessed 15 May 2005
Works by Thomas Gwyn Elger at Project Gutenberg
Elger's Albedo Scale
Johann Hieronymus Schröter: Selenotopographische Fragmente zur genauern Kenntniss der Mondfläche, ihrer erlittenen Veränderungen und Atmosphäre, sammt den dazu gehörigen Specialcharten und Zeichnungen. Lilienthal: Auf Kosten des Verfassers. 1791/1797/1802.

Authority control	WorldCat VIAF: 13815290 LCCN: n86872135

Persondata
Name	Elger, Thomas Gwyn Empy
Alternative names
Short description	British astronomer
Date of birth	27 October 1836
Place of birth
Date of death	9 January 1897
Place of death

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.