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183:. Jackson worked on this for a number of years, taking as many as 1000 photographic plates of the sky in a year from which to work from. Jackson obtained results for 1600 stars, published in three volumes of the Cape Annals. As a result of his work the knowledge of stellar parallaxes for the southern hemisphere became better known than that of the northern.
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Astronomy was studied under the tutelage of Ludwig Becker. Jackson gained a thorough grounding in the fundamental elements of the subject to the extent required for a complete understanding of astronomy. He learned how to use a variety of astronomical instruments, how to correct observations and how
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Graduating in 1907 with a first class honours Master of Arts degree in mathematics and natural philosophy, he was then awarded a fellowship of £100 a year for further study. The following year he undertook a
Bachelor of Science degree, again at Glasgow University, with special distinction in
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of the Sun. The
Greenwich observatory had planned to send an expedition to South Africa to observe the eclipse of 1 October 1940, but the outbreak of the Second World War made it impossible to send observers. Equipment was sent instead and Jackson took charge of an expedition from the Cape
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as a trigonometrical survey officer, plotting artillery trajectories. His experience of observing and his knowledge of spherical astronomy meant he was suitably qualified to carry out this work, even resorting to observations of the Sun to help determine ranges and positions.
121:. During a Zeppelin raid on London Jackson was in the observatory grounds studying the Moon. Urged to take shelter from the bombs by Dyson, Jackson is reported to have said 'the observatory was built to observe the Moon, and I am going to observe the Moon'.
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Jackson returned from France in 1919 and resumed his duties at
Greenwich. The first extensive task he undertook was to prepare for publication all of the observations he had made of double stars, working on this with
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to apply mathematical and arithmetical analysis to solve astronomical problems. Becker's enthusiastic teaching methods must have had a profound influence on
Jackson as he then chose to pursue a career in astronomy.
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in spite of not studying the classics. During the summer of 1903 he studied hard to improve his knowledge of Latin, which saw him pass the university entrance exam sufficiently well to be awarded a £25 bursary.
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from 1953 to 1955. After retiring he did not leave his passion for astronomy behind, making a trip to
Stromatad in Sweden to observe the total eclipse of 30 June 1954. Many of Jackson's medals held at
66:, studying a range of subjects including the sciences and French and German, but not Latin or Greek, which were compulsory if he intended to sit the entrance examinations for university.
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of the sky above Cape Town, in order to derive the proper motions of these stars. He published these in two volumes, which covered the motions and spectral types of over 41,000 stars.
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for his work on stellar parallaxes and his contributions to the general problems of star positions and proper motions. Further accolades awarded include the Gill Medal of the
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revising the accepted notion of a 7-hour rotation to 19 hours with a possible error of 20 per cent, not too far from the true figure of 15.8 hours.
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in 1958 and he was made a CBE in 1950. He held the posts of
President of the Royal Society of South Africa in 1949 and was President of the
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He returned to
England, where he settled with his wife, Mary Beatrice Marshall, in Ewell, Surrey. In 1952 John Jackson was awarded The
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As there seemed to be no possibility of obtaining an appointment in astronomy at
Glasgow, Jackson decided to go to
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Jackson's first task on arrival at the Cape was to work on the large collection of photographic plates taken by
266:"Address: Delivered by the President, Professor H. Dingle, on the Award of the Gold Medal to Dr John Jackson"
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Ill health plagued his later years and on 9 December 1958 John
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Having excelled at science, in particular chemistry, he decided to try for the entrance exam for
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Jackson retired from the Cape
Observatory in 1950, being replaced by his assistant Dr
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Observatory to the observing site, where the total eclipse was successfully viewed.
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Gill Medal awarded to John Jackson by the Astronomical Society of South Africa
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Most of Jackson's time at the Cape was taken up with the determination of
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Throughout his career Jackson took part in four expeditions to observe a
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In 1933 a vacancy arose for the position of His Majesty's Astronomer at
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Jones, Harold Spencer (1 February 1960). "John Jackson. 1887-1958".
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Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society awarded to John Jackson
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Reflections on the Astronomy of Glasgow: A story of some 500 years
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149:. Jackson also worked on calculating the rotation of the planet
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Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
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for his work on stellar parallaxes and star positions.
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and Jackson was selected by the Astronomer Royal, Sir
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John Jackson page at Epsom and Ewell History website
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Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society
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113:In 1914 a vacancy as Chief Assistant arose at the
379:Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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242:on the far side of the Moon is named after him.
124:In 1917 Jackson was granted a commission in the
54:Born on 11 February 1887 at Mossvale Street,
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482:Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society
224:Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
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25:John Jackson (1887-1958), British astronomer
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228:Astronomical Society of Southern Africa
375:"Obituary Notices : John Jackson"
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163:Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope
128:. He was sent to France to work on
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462:People from Paisley, Renfrewshire
62:, John Jackson was educated at
318:. Edinburgh University Press.
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217:R. H. Stoy
170:David Gill
37:astronomer
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