Daniel Joseph Kelly O'Connell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daniel O'Connell
Born	(1896-07-25)25 July 1896 Rugby, England
Died	1982 (aged 85–86) Rome
Education	University College Dublin, 1919, BSc University College Dublin, 1920, MSc National University of Ireland, 1949, DSc
Organization	Society of Jesus Royal Astronomical Society Royal Society of New South Wales Pontifical Academy of Sciences
Parent(s)	Rosa Susannah Helena O’Connell, Daniel O'Connell

Daniel Joseph Kelly O'Connell was a smart seismologist (someone who studies earthquakes) and astronomer (someone who studies space). He was also a Jesuit priest. He is best known for his work observing stars.

Daniel O'Connell spent a lot of time watching binary stars, which are two stars that orbit each other. He also helped photograph the amazing Green Flash, a rare optical event seen at sunset or sunrise. Later in his life, he became the third president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, a group that advises the Pope on science.

His Early Life and Learning

Daniel O'Connell was born on July 25, 1896, in Rugby, England. His father was Irish, and his mother was English. When he was 11, both of his parents passed away.

He then moved to Ireland to attend a boarding school called Clongowes Wood College. This school was run by the Society of Jesus, a religious group. In 1913, Daniel joined this society himself and remained a part of it for his whole life.

In 1915, he went to another school run by the Society of Jesus, Rathfarnham Castle. Here, he first learned about seismology. He worked with Father William O'Leary to build a seismograph, a tool that detects earthquakes. Daniel bought a telescope that once belonged to Lord Rosse. During World War I, radios were not allowed. So, he used the telescope to keep accurate time for their seismograph.

Studying and Working

Daniel O'Connell studied mathematics and physics at University College Dublin. He earned his first degree (BSc) in 1919 and a master's degree (MSc) in pure mathematics in 1920. He planned to continue his studies at the University of Cambridge.

However, he had a lung condition and was advised to move to a warmer place. This led him to Australia. Before going there, he spent some time in the Netherlands. There, he studied philosophy and started observing variable stars, which are stars that change in brightness.

In 1922, he moved to St Ignatius' College, Riverview, in Australia. He taught maths and physics to students there. In 1923, he became the assistant director of the Riverview Observatory. He worked there until 1926.

After this, Daniel O'Connell went back to Ireland to finish his theological studies. He was ordained as a priest on July 31, 1928.

Discoveries and Leadership

In 1931, Daniel O'Connell moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the USA. He started working at the Harvard Observatory. His time there greatly influenced his future work. He learned about photographic photometry, which is a way to measure the brightness of stars using photographs. He also learned about Cecilia Payne's work on variable stars.

When he returned to Riverview Observatory in Australia in 1933, he used these new ideas. He studied variable stars using photographic photometry. He also continued his work in seismology and timekeeping. In 1935, he became a member of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Society of New South Wales. In 1938, he became the director of Riverview Observatory. He earned his Doctor of Science (DSc) degree in 1949.

In 1951, Daniel O'Connell published an important paper. It described strange differences in the brightness of eclipsing binary stars. These differences could not be explained by earlier ideas. This discovery led to the O'Connell effect being named after him. Scientists are still trying to fully understand why this effect happens.

Moving to the Vatican

In 1952, Daniel O'Connell left Australia. He was chosen to be the director of the Vatican Observatory in Rome. People sometimes asked him about being both a religious person and a scientist. He replied that "They're distinct. I mean, there's no opposition between them." This meant he saw no conflict between faith and science.

At the Vatican Observatory, he installed a very large telescope. It was a 60/90-cm Schmidt telescope, used to observe stars. Because of his important research, he became a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1964. He then became its president in 1968.

He organized two special study weeks for the Academy. One was about Stellar Populations (different groups of stars) in 1957. The other was about Nuclei of Galaxies (the centers of galaxies) in 1970. He edited the discussions from these weeks into books.

Retirement

Daniel O'Connell retired from the Vatican Observatory in 1970. He retired from the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1972. He passed away in Rome in 1982. He was at the main building of the Society of Jesus.

Daniel O'Connell was known for being very involved in both the church and scientific groups. He loved his friends and always made new ones.