Harold Spencer Jones facts for kids

Sir Harold Spencer Jones (born March 29, 1890 – died November 3, 1960) was a famous English astronomer. He was known for his deep understanding of how objects move and are positioned in space. For 23 years, he held the important job of Astronomer Royal. This role meant he was the leading government astronomer in Britain. His last name was originally "Jones," but it became "Spencer Jones."

Early Life and Education

Harold Spencer Jones was born in Kensington, London, on March 29, 1890. His father, Henry Charles Jones, worked as an accountant. His mother, Sarah Ryland, used to be a school teacher.

Harold went to Latymer Upper School in West London. He was a very good student and won a scholarship to study at Jesus College, Cambridge. He finished his studies there in 1911. After that, he received a special scholarship to continue his research. He later became a Fellow of the college, which is a high honor.

Working at Greenwich Observatory (1913–1923)

In 1913, Harold Spencer Jones became the Chief Assistant at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. This was a big step in his career. He took over from another famous astronomer, Arthur Eddington. In December 1913, he was also chosen to be a member of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Studying the Earth and Stars

Spencer Jones studied many different things in astronomy. He was especially interested in positional astronomy. This is about exactly where things are in space and how they move. He focused on the Earth's movement and how it is tilted in space. He also looked at how stars move.

In 1914, he traveled to Minsk in Eastern Europe. He went there to watch a total solar eclipse. He left during peacetime, but the First World War started while he was away.

War Work and Return to Astronomy

The war changed his work at the observatory. For a while, he worked for the Ministry of Munitions. He helped with making optical instruments, like lenses for telescopes.

In 1918, Spencer Jones married Gladys Mary Owers.

After the war, he went back to his astronomy work. He continued to study the positions of stars. He also researched the Earth's rotation and how bright different stars are. During this time, he wrote a textbook called General Astronomy.

In 1922, he traveled to Christmas Island to see another total solar eclipse. He wanted to check if the Sun's gravity really bent starlight. This idea had been seen during a 1919 eclipse. Sadly, clouds blocked the view, so he couldn't make the observations.

Leading the Cape Observatory (1923–1933)

In 1923, the head astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope in South Africa passed away. Spencer Jones was chosen to take his place. He and his wife sailed to South Africa and arrived in December 1923.

Improving the Observatory

During his nine years there, Spencer Jones worked hard to improve the observatory. He made changes to how it was run and to its scientific projects. He also tried to make working conditions better for the staff.

His team used photographs taken by telescopes to measure many things about stars. They measured the exact positions of stars. They also looked at how stars moved very slowly across the sky over many years. This is called their proper motion. They also measured how fast stars were moving towards or away from Earth. This was done by looking at their spectra, which is like a rainbow of light from the star. The staff also measured the brightness of 40,000 stars from photos.

Measuring Distances in Space

A very important part of their work was figuring out how far away stars are. They did this by using parallax. This is the tiny shift in a star's apparent position as the Earth orbits the Sun. Many of their findings were published in special books called star catalogues.

Spencer Jones himself focused on the movements of the Earth and the Moon. He made more accurate measurements of the Moon's orbit. He did this by observing occultations, which is when the Moon passes in front of a star.

He also made better measurements of the distance from the Sun to the Earth. He used observations of Mars and a small planet called 433 Eros. Eros came very close to Earth in 1930–1931. These observations gave the best measurement of the Sun's distance known at that time. For this important work, he later received two major awards: the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Medal of the Royal Society.

Astronomer Royal (1933–1955)

In 1933, Spencer Jones became the Astronomer Royal, taking over from Sir Frank Dyson. This meant he moved back to Britain to lead the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

Modernizing the Observatory

Spencer Jones faced many challenges in his new role. He hired new staff and brought in new equipment. He also improved the observatory's time service, which provided very accurate time signals. He became responsible for the HM Nautical Almanac Office, which publishes important information for sailors.

He also convinced the government to move the observatory. The old site in Greenwich was too affected by London's city lights and pollution. A darker location away from the city was needed.

Continued Research and War Impact

Even with all his new duties, Spencer Jones still found time for his own research. He analyzed and published the important Eros observations he had made in South Africa. He also made big contributions to measuring the Earth's rotation and the movements of other planets very precisely.

The Second World War disrupted the observatory's work. Many staff members left to help with the war effort. Spencer Jones and his team moved from London to a safer place in Abinger, Surrey.

After the war, scientific work slowly started again at Greenwich. However, the government agreed to move the observatory to Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex. The new site was bought, and Spencer Jones moved there in 1948. It took another ten years to move everything because new buildings were needed and there wasn't much money after the war. The observatory at its new home became known as the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Spencer Jones led the big building projects to house the instruments moved from Greenwich.

Spencer Jones also played a key role in planning a large new telescope at Herstmonceux. This led to the Isaac Newton Telescope, which opened in 1967.

Other Roles and Honors

He was very interested in timekeeping and clocks. He was the president of the British Horological Institute from 1939 until he died in 1960.

He was also the president of the International Astronomical Union from 1945 to 1948. He served as president of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1937 to 1939. He also held other important roles in the society, like secretary and treasurer.

He was made a knight in 1943. This meant he could use "Sir" before his name. In 1955, he received an even higher honor, the KBE.

In 1947, Spencer Jones was chosen as the first President of the Royal Institute of Navigation. In 1951, the Institute's top award, the Gold Medal, was named in his honor. It is still given today to people who make great contributions to navigation.

Personal Life

Sir Harold Spencer Jones and his wife, Lady Gladys Mary Owens Spencer Jones, had two sons. Their son John became a jet pilot in the Royal Air Force. Their other son was named David.

Retirement and Later Life

Spencer Jones retired as Astronomer Royal at the end of 1955. He continued to be active in many scientific groups. He passed away on November 3, 1960, at the age of 70. He died from a heart attack.

Thoughts on Space Travel

Spencer Jones's ideas about space travel are often talked about. His successor, Richard van der Riet Woolley, was once misquoted as saying "Space travel is utter bilge" (meaning nonsense).

Similarly, it's often said that Spencer Jones himself didn't believe space travel was practical. He supposedly said "space travel is bunk" just two weeks before the Sputnik 1 satellite launched in October 1957. While some people question if he actually said that exact phrase, the idea behind it matches his own writings.

In an article he wrote in 1957, twelve years before humans landed on the Moon, he shared his thoughts:

I believe that many generations will pass before humans ever land on the Moon. And even if they do, it's unlikely they would be able to return to Earth to tell us about it. Beyond the Moon, humans are probably never going to go. Unless, by mistake, their spaceship misses its target and just floats off into space, never to come back.

Honors and Awards

Awards

• Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1943)
• Royal Medal (1943)
• Prix Jules Janssen, the top award from the French astronomical society (1945)
• Bruce Medal (1949)
• Gold medal of the British Horological Institute (1946)
• Lorimer Medal of the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh (1953)

Honors

• Elected International Member of the American Philosophical Society (1942)
• Elected International Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences (1943)
• Elected International Honorary Member of the American Philosophical Society (1945)

Named After Him

• The crater Spencer Jones on the Moon
• The crater Jones on Mars
• Asteroid 3282 Spencer Jones

Lectures

In 1944, Spencer Jones was asked to give the famous Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. His topic was Astronomy in our Daily Life.

Images for kids

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  A robot, representing technology and exploration.

See also

In Spanish: Harold Spencer Jones para niños