{"id":2471,"date":"2024-10-10T20:19:34","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T19:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/?p=2471"},"modified":"2024-10-10T20:19:36","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T19:19:36","slug":"robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh","title":{"rendered":"Robert Thorburn Ayton Innes, a brilliant astronomer from Edinburgh"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Science has brought together many talented people who offer unique developments to the world. Their inventions make the life of mankind much easier and better. Learn more at <a href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\">edinburgh-future<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, behind every innovation hides the incredible work of <a href=\"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/uk\/eternal-vynahid-rajana-abo-5-kegliv-yaki-zminyly-hid-gry-v-bouling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">scientists<\/a>. They can\u2019t simply create something new out of the blue but have to conduct various experiments and research first. However, perseverance and endless dedication to their work contribute to achieving the best results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is hard to disagree that Edinburgh has given the world many gifted people. It seems that the city has all the conditions needed for the development and cultivation of talents. Many Edinburgh residents managed to gain fame in science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Robert Thorburn Ayton Innes is one of them. Even though he was better known in the scientific community as a South African scientist, Robert was closely linked with his native Edinburgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3b32c12063d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3b32c12063d\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh\/#Early_years\" title=\"Early years\">Early years<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh\/#Debut\" title=\"Debut\">Debut<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh\/#Genius\" title=\"Genius\">Genius<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh\/#Director\" title=\"Director\">Director<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh\/#New_stage\" title=\"New stage\">New stage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh\/#Ground-breaking_discovery\" title=\"Ground-breaking discovery\">Ground-breaking discovery<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh\/#Achievements\" title=\"Achievements\">Achievements<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh\/#Good_result\" title=\"Good result\">Good result<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/eternal-2471-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh\/#Sudden_end\" title=\"Sudden end\">Sudden end<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Early_years\"><\/span>Early years<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The future scientist was born in Edinburgh on November 10, 1861.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The boy was seriously interested in astronomy from an early age. Robert had such a motivation that even decided to go to Australia to earn money from selling wine and do more of what he loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, at that time, a young scientist managed to discover previously unknown double stars, using his home-made 12-inch reflecting telescope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Debut\"><\/span>Debut<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1900, Robert published his first publication, a double stars\u2019 catalogue. Moreover, it also covered earlier observations shared by southern astronomers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next related work of the scientist was published in 1927.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Innes wasn\u2019t limited to catalogues only and also wrote articles devoted to Venus\u2019 and Mars\u2019 orbits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Genius\"><\/span>Genius<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking about Robert Innes\u2019 biography, it is fair to mention one important fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He didn\u2019t have an official education in astronomy. Still, Robert successfully engaged in research and offered new facts that became real sensations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this, without exaggeration, testifies to the man&#8217;s genius and uniqueness. Moreover, he wasn\u2019t doubted even among respected scientists. Otherwise, how would you explain the fact that Robert was appointed to work at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope in 1896?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At that stage of his career, the scientist managed to discover what later became popular as Kapteyn&#8217;s Star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Director\"><\/span>Director<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.edinburgh-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/08\/ad_4nxfuooonof2t9bsnm1qgb1szuqh7l8bqjzwwh5xrzydgfzrw-asuupw0u4nntlz0ggyvdxc-dk6y_ip3t2pk0yedazxl_ztnwnlujyvg6hpxmoybdsscenhgviitweou5e9pmryvqig-ajadosuwejcufnwkeyidlmuxz6tzgsvqpqwhyqpq.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The year 1903 was marked by a new turn in Innes\u2019 activity. Then he headed the new Transvaal Meteorological Observatory (the Transvaal Observatory since 1906).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1909, Robert purchased a unique 9-inch Grubb refractor for the observatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, in 1925, the scientist began to use a 26.5-inch refractor, which was better for studying hard-to-see double stars in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"New_stage\"><\/span>New stage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, in 1912, Robert was appointed astronomer at the newly created Union Observatory (also known as the Republic Observatory or the Johannesburg Observatory).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That position and institution subsequently played a significant role in the scientist&#8217;s career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ground-breaking_discovery\"><\/span>Ground-breaking discovery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>John Franklin-Adams presented the Republican Observatory with a 10-inch astrographic camera. Later, Robert used it for his sensational discovery of Proxima Centauri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, the scientist discovered a faint star quite close to Alpha Centauri in 1915.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, due to the fact that the scientist had very little evidence and couldn&#8217;t measure the exact distance at that time, the discovery consisted in the very fact of a new star\u2019s existence. Robert Innes named it Proxima in 1917.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the way, later, Harold Lee Alden managed to accurately establish the above-mentioned distance. It happened at the Yale observatory in Johannesburg, which was equipped with a long-focus camera designed for stellar parallax study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Achievements\"><\/span>Achievements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If we talk about Robert&#8217;s main contribution to astronomy, it is certainly the study of double stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, most of the scientist&#8217;s discoveries were devoted to stars with faint companions, as they weren\u2019t noticed by other astronomers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides, Innes was seriously engaged in the measurement of the relative positions of binary pairs. He did it using a filar micrometre. The scientist also periodically re-measured already-known double stars. It was necessary to determine their orbits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Good_result\"><\/span>Good result<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.edinburgh-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/08\/ad_4nxc9mbpr8oyglmd3ph8xbtpmiwycrz8nadr_h6pl3rzxdambcfbo7-tcsy17razv-qlbmcwztof2qawspilfbbwxouke_60-ds0dtpzdbyjlphd4c_ikksk2ahvxbkyucl1b8ism9nsys4ykeakkywt6aad-keyidlmuxz6tzgsvqpqwhyqpq.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, Robert Innes succeeded in formulating a simplified method to specify the double stars\u2019 orbits. Combining these parameters with other measurements (in particular, with radial velocity), it is possible to determine the mass of each individual star in a binary pair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sudden_end\"><\/span>Sudden end<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1923, Leiden University awarded Robert with an honorary doctorate (honoris causa). Even though the scientist retired in 1927, he continued his activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In particular, his next project had to be a 3D cinema. However, the implementation of this idea wasn\u2019t destined to be completed. The reason was his sudden death on March 13, 1933.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.edinburgh-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/08\/ad_4nxcov8d7gkq8xplmshscql1zdctayb6j9-gzefnrgqu7u4byne7pchwk1ya97bpr8q3b3sp-6j7fixknflprm-y4ecaw91fy3gc5q5mkzhrpa1ejrc2aaatmvmqylarsvybfajuxfrh_rsko5gjbijvoa3tckeyidlmuxz6tzgsvqpqwhyqpq.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The career of Robert Thorburn Ayton Innes is another proof that Edinburgh is breeding real talents. Even though the scientist didn\u2019t work and develop in his native city, his Edinburgh spirit and undeniable genius always reminded him of his birthplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Science has brought together many talented people who offer unique developments to the world. Their inventions make the life of mankind much easier and better. Learn more at edinburgh-future. Of course, behind every innovation hides the incredible work of scientists. They can\u2019t simply create something new out of the blue but have to conduct various [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":338,"featured_media":2418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[1573,1575,1581,1578,1579,1576,1580,1574,1572,1577,1582],"motype":[1121],"moformat":[18],"moimportance":[29,30,33],"class_list":{"0":"post-2471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-innovations","8":"tag-a-brilliant-astronomer-from-edinburgh","9":"tag-astronomer-achievements","10":"tag-astronomical-observation-methods","11":"tag-binary-star-systems","12":"tag-cape-observatory-astronomer","13":"tag-double-star-discoveries","14":"tag-early-20th-century-astronomy","15":"tag-proxima-centauri-discovery","16":"tag-robert-thorburn-ayton-innes","17":"tag-south-african-astronomy","18":"tag-stellar-parallax-research","19":"motype-eternal","20":"moformat-vlasna","21":"moimportance-aktualna-bilshe-roku","22":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","23":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/338"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2471"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2472,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471\/revisions\/2472"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2471"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=2471"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=2471"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edinburgh-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=2471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}