Mervyn A. Ellison facts for kids

Mervyn Archdall Ellison (born May 5, 1909 – died September 12, 1963) was a famous Irish astronomer. He was known around the world for his deep knowledge of the Sun. He studied how solar flares, which are huge explosions on the Sun, affect our Earth.

Life and Discoveries

Early Life and Education

Mervyn Ellison was born in Fethard-on-Sea in County Wexford, Ireland. He was the third son of Reverend William Frederick Archdall Ellison. He was taught at home until he was nine years old. At that time, his father became the director of Armagh Observatory. Mervyn then went to the Royal School, Armagh. During his free time, he became very interested in astronomy.

In 1927, he started studying physics at Trinity College Dublin. He was recognized as a top student there. In 1928, he became a member of the Royal Astronomical Society. He also led the University Philosophical Society for a year. He earned his master's degree in 1932 and a higher science degree in 1944.

Teaching and Wartime Work

In 1933, Ellison became a senior science teacher at Sherborne School in England. He married Patricia Herron in 1934, and they had two daughters and a son. During this time, he built his own special telescope called a spectrohelioscope. He used it to study the Sun, especially after periods with fewer sunspots.

When World War II began, he helped organize a training group for air cadets. Later, he joined a research team at the British Admiralty, which is like the navy's science department.

Focus on the Sun

After the war, in 1946, he joined the International Astronomical Union. The next year, he started working at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. There, he continued his important studies of the Sun. He looked closely at solar flares and prominences, which are huge loops of gas that burst from the Sun's surface.

In 1948, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He worked at the observatory for eleven years. During this time, he published many scientific papers about his discoveries. He also gave many talks about astronomy. He even did radio and television interviews to explain solar activity to the public. He played a big part in a major science project called the International Geophysical Year. For this, he helped set up a special telescope in South Africa to study the Sun.

Later Career and Legacy

In 1955, Ellison published a book titled The Sun and its Influence. In 1958, he became the director of the Dunsink Observatory in Ireland. He continued to work on many astronomy publications.

Sadly, Mervyn Ellison became ill in 1963 and passed away. At the time of his death, he was a senior professor of Astronomy at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. To honor his contributions to astronomy, a crater on the Moon is named "Ellison" after him.