Charles Gorrie Wynne facts for kids
Charles Gorrie Wynne (born May 18, 1911 – died October 1, 1999) was a brilliant English scientist. He was known for designing special lenses and optical systems. He was a very important person in the world of lens design.
Contents
Charles Gorrie Wynne: A Visionary in Optics
Early Life and First Steps
Charles was born in Leicester, England. He went to Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys and then Exeter College, Oxford for his studies. However, he had to pause his education because he got tuberculosis.
After his studies, Charles started working at a company in Leicester called Taylor, Taylor and Hobson. They made lenses. In 1943, he moved to another company, Wray (Optical Works) in Kent. He worked there until 1960. During this time, he designed many important optical systems.
Designing for the Stars and Beyond
In 1960, Charles joined Imperial College, London. He became the director of the Optical Design Group. He stayed there until 1978. While at Imperial College, he and some friends started a company called IC Optical Systems. This company made special scientific optical instruments. It later became an independent company.
In 1978, Charles left Imperial College. He went to work at Greenwich Observatory, where he designed telescopes. Later, in 1987, he moved to the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge.
Charles was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1970. This is a big honor for scientists! His nomination said he was special because he found new ways to understand how light behaves in lenses. He also created the first successful computer programs to make optical systems work perfectly.
Think of it like this: modern cameras, telescopes, and even your phone's camera use very complex lenses. These lenses can have many parts, sometimes up to 100! Charles showed that using computers could help design these lenses to work much, much better. His programs are still used today in universities and by companies.
Charles designed optical systems for many important projects. These included:
- Systems for air navigation (helping planes find their way).
- Equipment for space research.
- Tools for particle physics experiments at big science labs like CERN.
- Lenses for famous telescopes like the Isaac Newton Telescope, Palomar, Kitt Peak, and McDonald Observatories.
- He also worked on special parts for the large 150-inch Anglo-Australian Telescope.
Before 1960, when he worked in industry, Charles was well-known for designing special high-performance lenses for the Royal Air Force (RAF). These lenses were used for taking aerial photographs from planes.
Awards and Recognition
Charles Gorrie Wynne received several important awards for his amazing work:
- Young Medal and Prize in 1971
- Rumford Medal in 1982
- Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1988
Private Life
Charles Gorrie Wynne passed away in Cambridge in 1999. He was married and had three children.
