Ralph Allan Sampson facts for kids

Ralph Allan Sampson (born June 25, 1866 – died November 7, 1939) was an important British astronomer. He spent his life studying the stars and planets. He made many discoveries that helped us understand space better.

Ralph Sampson's Early Life

Ralph Sampson was born in a place called Schull in Ireland. This was in 1866, when Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. He was one of five children in his family. His father, James Sampson, was a chemist who studied metals.

His family later moved to Liverpool, England. Ralph went to school at the Liverpool Institute. After that, he studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, a famous university. He finished his studies there in 1888.

In 1891, Ralph Sampson received a special scholarship. This allowed him to do more research in astronomy at Cambridge University. He even worked with a famous astronomer named John Couch Adams. Ralph helped to publish some of Adams' important papers.

His Amazing Career in Astronomy

In 1893, Ralph Sampson became a professor of Mathematics in Newcastle-on-Tyne. A few years later, in 1895, he became a professor at Durham University.

In 1910, he got a very important job. He became the Astronomer Royal for Scotland. This meant he was the main astronomer for Scotland until 1937. He also taught astronomy at the University of Edinburgh.

Ralph Sampson did some amazing work. He was one of the first scientists to figure out how to measure the color temperature of stars. This means he could tell how hot a star was just by looking at its color.

He also did very important research on Jupiter's four biggest moons. These moons are called the Galilean satellites. He studied how they moved around Jupiter. For this great work, he won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1928. This is one of the highest awards an astronomer can receive.

Ralph Sampson was also the president of the Royal Astronomical Society. He held this important role from 1915 to 1917.

Special Recognition and Awards

In 1903, Ralph Sampson became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very special honor given to top scientists. In 1911, he also became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He served as a leader in this society for many years. He even won their Keith Prize for his scientific work.

Ralph Sampson retired in 1937 when he was 71 years old. He moved to Bath because his health was not good. He passed away in Bath on November 7, 1939.

Ralph Sampson's Family

In 1893, Ralph Sampson married Ida Binney. They had a daughter named Peggie Sampson. Peggie grew up to be a professional cellist and a teacher. Ralph's brother, John Sampson, was also famous. He was a linguist who studied the Romany language.

A Moon Crater Named After Him

To honor his contributions to astronomy, a crater on the Moon is named after him. It is called the Sampson crater.