Person

Woolley, Richard van der Riet (1906 - 1986)

Kt OBE FAA FRS

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    Richard van der Riet Woolley
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Born
24 April 1906
Weymouth, Dorset, England
Died
24 December 1986
Occupation
Astronomer

Summary

Richard Woolley was Director of the Mount Stromlo Observatory 1939-1955, Astronomer Royal, United Kingdom 1956-1971 and Director of the South African Astronomical Observatory 1972-1976. He was an early and consistent advocate for the Anglo-Australian telescope.

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Details

Born Weymouth, Dorset, England, 24 April 1906. Died 24 December 1986. Educated Universities of Cape Town (MSc) and Cambridge (BA 1928, PhD 1931, ScD 1951). OBE 1953, Knight Bachelor (Kt) 1963. Commonwealth Fund Fellowship, Mt Wilson Observatory, California 1929-31, Isaac Newton Student, Cambridge 1931-33, Chief Assistant, Royal Observatory, Greenwich 1933-37, John Couch Adams Astronomer, University of Cambridge 1937-39, director, Mount Stromlo Observatory 1939-55, professor of astronomy, Australian National University 1950-55, Astronomer Royal, UK 1956-71, first Director, South African Astronomical Observatory 1972-76. President, Royal Astronomical Society 1963-65, President, ANZAAS 1955. Fellow, Royal Society 1953, Foundation Fellow, Australian Academy of Science 1954, Gold Medal, Royal Astronomical Society 1971.

Chronology

1953
Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS)
1953
Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - Commonwealth Astronomer
1955
Award - Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne
1963
Award - Knight Bachelor (Kt)

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

  • Richard van der Riet Woolley - Records, July 1927, MS 194; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

Books

  • Ophel, Trevor and Jenkin, John, Fire in the Belly: the First Fifty Years of the Pioneer School at the ANU (Canberra: Research School of Physical Science and Engineering, Institute of Advanced Studies, ANU, 1996), 157 pp. Details
  • Woolley, Richard van der Riet, The Longest Tyranny: an Inaugural Lecture Delivered at Canberra on 28 July 1955 (Canberra: Australian National University, 1955), 27 pp. Details

Journal Articles

  • Davies, Susan, 'R. v.d. R. Wooley in Australia', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (1) (1984), 59-69. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9840610059. Details
  • Gascoigne, S. C. B., 'Bok, Woolley and Australian Astronomy', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (2) (1992), 119-126. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920920119. Details
  • Gasgoigne, S. C. B., 'Astrophysics at Mount Stromlo: the Woolley era', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 5 (1984), 597-605. Details
  • Hyland, A. R.; and Faulkner, D. J., 'From the Sun to Universe - the Woolley and Bok Directorships at Mount Stromlo', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 8 (2) (1989), 216-228. Details
  • McCrea, S. W., 'Richard van der Reit Woolley 1906-86', Historical Records of Australian Science, 7 (3) (1988), 315-345. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9880730315. Details
  • Woolley, Richard van der Riet, 'Mount Stromlo Observatory', Records of the Australian Academy of Science, 1 (3) (1968), 53-57. http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9680130053.htm. Details

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

Digital resources

Title
Richard van der Riet Woolley
Type
Image

Details

Rosanne Walker

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 24 August 2023

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