William Rosse
Born on 17th of June 1800
Died on 31st of October 1867
Rosse was a member of the Irish nobility, educated at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdelen College, Oxford. He sat in Parliament as an MP, and after his father’s death as a Lord, but it is for his work in astronomy that he is remembered. He spent a fortune (£30,000) to build what was for many years the world’s largest telescope, 58’ long and with a 72” lens, with which he discovered the spiral nature of nebulae. He was also a pioneer in techniques relating to telescope manufacture, including work on fluid lenses. The operation of his 72” 16-ton telescope amazed contemporaries by the ease and accuracy with which it could be moved.
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