Education
Herbert Hall Turner was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Cambridge., In 1884 he accepted the post of Chief Assistant at the Royal Greenwich Observatory and stayed there for nine years.
Astronomer seismologist university professor
Herbert Hall Turner was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Cambridge., In 1884 he accepted the post of Chief Assistant at the Royal Greenwich Observatory and stayed there for nine years.
In 1893 he became Savilian Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Radcliffe Observatory at Oxford University, a post he held for 37 years until his sudden death in 1930. He was one of the observers in the Eclipse Expeditions of 1886 and 1887. In seismology, he is credited with the discovery of deep focus earthquakes.
He is also credited with coining the word parsec.
His 1897 Royal Society candidature citation read: " Secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society. Was Chief Assistant at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich 1884-1894.
Author of various papers among which may be mentioned:- "On the correction of the Equilibrium theory of tides for the continents (with G H Darwin, ProcRS volume lx) "Report of observations of total solar eclipse of August 29 1886" (Philosophy Transport volume 180A), "On Mr Edgeworth"s method of reducing observations relating to several quantities" (Philosophy Magazine Vol24). "On Mr Leath"s Intersects" (Monthly Notices RAS volume xlvi).
"On observations for coincidence of collimators at Royal Observatory Greenwich" (M,North Vols xlv and liii).
"On the variations of level against of the Transit Circle at Royal Observatory Greenwich" (Minnesota Volxlvii). "On the longitude of Paris" (Minnesota volume li). "on stellar Photography" (Minnesota Vols xlix and liv) On the R-Doctorate discordnace (Minnesota volume Liii p 374 and 424, volume Liv p 486, Member Participant 3 volume ii).
On new forms of levels (Minnesota Volume(s) Lii).
Conference of the Cape (1880) and Greenwich (1880) Star Catalogues (Member RsFS, volume Li). On the reduction of measures of photographic plates (NN volume LiV) He co-edited the first official history of the Royal Astronomical Society along with John Louis Emil Dreyer, History of the Royal Astronomical Society 1820–1920 (1923, reprinted 1987).
He died of a brain haemorrhage in 1930 at a conference in Stockholm. The new planet was officially named "Pluto" on 24 March 1930.
Since 2006, Pluto has been officially classified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union.
Named after him Works.
Savilian Professor of Astronomy in the University of Oxford
Foundation Scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge
1st Class Mathematics, with Exhibition, and 1st Class Physics, with Amott Exhibition and Medal, University of London, 1880
Mathematical Scholarship and 1st Class Experimental Physics, University of London, 1882
Second Wrangler and Sheepshanks Astronomical Exhibitioner, Cambridge, 1882
1st Class Mathematics Tripos, 3rd part, and 2nd Smith"s Prize
Fellow of Trinity. Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chief Assistant at Greenwich Observatory.
Fellow of the Royal Society, June 1897
Bruce Medal (1927)
The crater Turner on the Moon
Asteroid 1186 Turnera.
Royal Society.
