33:
142:
relief around Tuam. In 1852 he visited Rome. When he returned home in 1854 he built up a network of newspapers and magazines to which he started contributing articles on scientific and other matters. He first attracted attention with his articles on sedimentary rocks in the west of
Ireland which he
206:
at a low angle. All that survives of the original formation is an irregular perimeter of low, indented ridges surrounding the lava-resurfaced interior. The inner floor is marked by several tiny craterlets, and the surface is unusually rough for a walled plain. The low angle of illumination allows
138:. The Birmingham Family held one of the oldest titles in Ireland and were the last Barons Of Athenry and Earls Of Louth. Between 1844 and 1854 he spent several years travelling through Europe, and is thought to have studied in Berlin. In 1846 and 1847 he was active in
262:
John
Birmingham was an only child. He never married but he was reputed to have fathered a daughter. He died at the Millbrook Estate on 7 September 1884 and his house was left to ruin. Birmingham was a devout Catholic. All that remains of his possessions is his
150:
He inherited part of the
Millbrook estate, which was scattered across Galway and Mayo, in 1865, and settled at Millbrook House with two elderly aunts and a maternal uncle, Arthur Bell, who assisted him in his research. He became known as a kindly
187:
commented: “We know of no paper which contains an equal amount of learning in so brief a space, in so charming a style and manner, and stamps him as a man of learning, eloquence and refined taste combined with genius.” In 1883, the
181:
In 1866, he wrote an essay about the disappearance of a crater on the surface of the Moon and the subsequent appearance of a vast luminous cloud in its place. In its review of the essay,
579:
599:
472:
103:
and poet. He spent six or seven years travelling widely in Europe where he became proficient in several languages. In 1866, he discovered the recurrent
533:
364:
574:
418:
584:
169:. The success of this find led him to acquire a powerful new telescope from Thomas Cooke of York (which cost £120), fitted with a lens made by
155:
but also as a scholar and intellectual. From 1858, he started contributing notes on astronomy to local newspapers. At
Millbrook he built what
456:
386:
299:
334:
290:
161:
called a large wooden house with a sliding roof, which formed his first observatory. On 12 May 1866, he discovered the variable star
594:
589:
509:
525:
207:
fine details of this boulder-strewn field to be seen more clearly. The
Birmingham formation lies just to the north of the
274:
made reference to
Birmingham's Observatory in one of his books and John, like William E. Wilson had numerous contacts at
543:
569:
325:
423:
131:
127:
47:
239:
220:
530:
564:
559:
338:
192:
presented
Birmingham with a gold medal for his valuable contributions to the society's transactions.
360:
370:
275:
271:
231:
195:
189:
83:
162:
139:
107:
452:
409:
382:
295:
374:
235:
224:
79:
126:
He was born to Edward
Birmingham and Elly Bell and grew up on the Millbrook Estate outside
537:
510:
http://galwayastronomyclub.blogspot.com/2008/08/galways-forgotten-starjohn-birmingham.html
183:
166:
157:
32:
219:
John
Birmingham, using a 4.5-inch (110 mm) Cooke refractor, made a special study of
342:
242:. This star is named after him. Other subjects on which he published articles included
243:
227:'s Catalogue of Red Stars. Six hundred and fifty eight of these objects were included.
111:
323:
Mohr, Paul (2004). "A Star in the
Western Sky: John Birmingham, Astronomer and Poet".
553:
208:
67:
451:. Vol. I. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy-Cambridge University Press. p. 554.
170:
378:
96:
413:
264:
251:
152:
115:
100:
363:. In Hockey, Thomas; Trimble, Virginia; Williams, Thomas R. (eds.).
294:. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 146–147.
247:
203:
199:
135:
104:
270:
In his lifetime however he was well known and well respected,
524:
National Astronomy Meeting & UK Solar Physics Meeting –
254:. He had correspondence with other leading astronomers.
496:
Hockey, Thomas A., Virginia Trimble, Katherine Bracher.
267:, which is on display at the Milltown community museum.
75:
55:
39:
23:
473:"Birmingham, John | Dictionary of Irish Biography"
238:in 1884. In 1881 he discovered a deep red star in
354:
352:
211:, and to the east of the W. Bond walled-plain.
288:Hoskin, M.A. (1970–1980). "Birmingham, John".
8:
110:. He studied and wrote articles on planets,
145:Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin
442:
440:
31:
20:
198:is located near the northern limb of the
498:Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers
366:Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers
580:People educated at St Jarlath's College
419:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
315:
234:in 1876 and was awarded the academy's
447:McGuire, James; Quinn, James (2009).
7:
335:Society for the History of Astronomy
600:People from Milltown, County Galway
291:Dictionary of Scientific Biography
14:
500:. New York: Springer, 2007. p130.
575:19th-century Irish astronomers
526:History of Astronomy in Dublin
414:"Birmingham, John (1816–1884)"
230:He presented this work to the
1:
585:Scientists from County Galway
449:Dictionary of Irish Biography
379:10.1007/978-1-4419-9917-7_161
202:, and so is viewed from the
616:
326:The Antiquarian Astronomer
544:Galway Astronomy Festival
223:and revised and extended
95:(1816–1884) was an Irish
30:
595:19th-century Irish poets
590:19th-century astronomers
542:Galway astronomy club –
412:; Gross, Joseph (2004).
424:Oxford University Press
196:Birmingham Lunar Crater
177:Birmingham Lunar Crater
128:Milltown, County Galway
48:Milltown, County Galway
46:Millbrook Estate near
531:Tuam family histories
359:Elliott, Ian (2014).
165:in the constellation
99:, amateur geologist,
536:3 March 2016 at the
240:Cygnus constellation
132:St Jarlath's College
130:and was educated at
546:Astronomy in Galway
422:. Oxford, England:
371:Springer Publishing
343:2004AntAs...1...23M
276:Dunsink Observatory
232:Royal Irish Academy
190:Royal Irish Academy
143:contributed to the
84:Royal Irish Academy
570:Amateur geologists
361:"Birmingham, John"
215:Study of red stars
163:T Coronae Borealis
108:T Coronae Borealis
66:Millbrook Estate,
458:978-0-521-63331-4
388:978-0-387-31022-0
301:978-0-684-10114-9
246:, the transit of
90:
89:
63:(aged 67–68)
607:
512:
507:
501:
494:
488:
487:
485:
483:
469:
463:
462:
444:
435:
434:
432:
430:
410:Clerke, Agnes M.
406:
400:
399:
397:
395:
356:
347:
346:
320:
305:
236:Cunningham Medal
80:Cunningham Medal
62:
59:7 September 1884
35:
21:
16:Irish astronomer
615:
614:
610:
609:
608:
606:
605:
604:
550:
549:
538:Wayback Machine
521:
516:
515:
508:
504:
495:
491:
481:
479:
471:
470:
466:
459:
446:
445:
438:
428:
426:
408:
407:
403:
393:
391:
389:
358:
357:
350:
322:
321:
317:
312:
302:
287:
284:
282:Further reading
260:
217:
184:The Irish Times
179:
167:Corona Borealis
158:The Tuam Herald
124:
93:John Birmingham
71:
64:
60:
51:
44:
26:
25:John Birmingham
17:
12:
11:
5:
613:
611:
603:
602:
597:
592:
587:
582:
577:
572:
567:
562:
552:
551:
548:
547:
540:
528:
520:
519:External links
517:
514:
513:
502:
489:
464:
457:
436:
401:
387:
348:
314:
313:
311:
308:
307:
306:
300:
283:
280:
259:
256:
244:meteor showers
216:
213:
178:
175:
123:
120:
112:meteor showers
88:
87:
77:
73:
72:
65:
57:
53:
52:
45:
41:
37:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
612:
601:
598:
596:
593:
591:
588:
586:
583:
581:
578:
576:
573:
571:
568:
566:
563:
561:
558:
557:
555:
545:
541:
539:
535:
532:
529:
527:
523:
522:
518:
511:
506:
503:
499:
493:
490:
478:
474:
468:
465:
460:
454:
450:
443:
441:
437:
425:
421:
420:
415:
411:
405:
402:
390:
384:
380:
376:
372:
368:
367:
362:
355:
353:
349:
344:
340:
336:
332:
328:
327:
319:
316:
309:
303:
297:
293:
292:
286:
285:
281:
279:
277:
273:
268:
266:
258:Personal life
257:
255:
253:
249:
245:
241:
237:
233:
228:
226:
222:
214:
212:
210:
209:Mare Frigoris
205:
201:
197:
193:
191:
186:
185:
176:
174:
172:
168:
164:
160:
159:
154:
148:
146:
141:
137:
133:
129:
121:
119:
117:
113:
109:
106:
102:
98:
94:
85:
81:
78:
74:
69:
68:County Galway
58:
54:
49:
42:
38:
34:
29:
22:
19:
505:
497:
492:
480:. Retrieved
476:
467:
448:
427:. Retrieved
417:
404:
392:. Retrieved
369:. New York:
365:
330:
324:
318:
289:
269:
261:
229:
218:
194:
182:
180:
171:Thomas Grubb
156:
149:
144:
125:
92:
91:
61:(1884-00-00)
18:
565:1884 deaths
560:1816 births
429:17 November
394:17 November
272:Robert Ball
225:Schjellerup
173:of Dublin.
122:Early years
554:Categories
477:www.dib.ie
310:References
97:astronomer
337:: 24–33.
265:telescope
221:red stars
70:, Ireland
50:, Ireland
534:Archived
252:sunspots
153:landlord
116:sunspots
101:polymath
43:May 1816
482:8 April
339:Bibcode
86:, 1884)
455:
385:
298:
140:Famine
76:Awards
248:Venus
204:Earth
484:2024
453:ISBN
431:2015
396:2015
383:ISBN
296:ISBN
250:and
200:Moon
136:Tuam
114:and
105:nova
56:Died
40:Born
375:doi
134:in
556::
475:.
439:^
416:.
381:.
373:.
351:^
333:.
329:.
278:.
147:.
118:.
486:.
461:.
433:.
398:.
377::
345:.
341::
331:1
304:.
82:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
