Robert Peirson, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetRobert Peirson
English astronomer and theoretical physicist
Date of Birth: 02-Jun-1821
Place of Birth: London Borough of Islington, England, United Kingdom
Date of Death: 21-Jun-1891
Profession: astronomer
Zodiac Sign: Gemini 
About Robert Peirson
- Robert Peirson (2 June 1821 – 15 June 1891) was an English astronomer and theoretical physicist.Born into a wealthy family at their residence at No.
- 5, Barnsbury Park, Islington, Middlesex, Robert Peirson lived his life there except during his residence at Cambridge. He was admitted a Foundation Scholar in 1842, and took his degree as Third Wrangler in 1845, the year of Dr Parkinson and Sir William Thomson (now Lord Kelvin).
- He was admitted a Fellow of the College in 1849 in succession to Mr Blick, who had accepted the living of Brandesburton; and kept his Fellowship till 1855.
- He does not appear to have held any College office.
- In 1850 he was awarded the first Adams Prize, founded in 1848, for an essay on The Theory of the Long Inequality of Uranus and Neptune, which was printed in vol.
- ix of the Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. After leaving Cambridge he lived a reclusive life and occupied himself with the study of astronomy and optics.
- In 1858 he purchased several acres of land in Wimbledon Park, Surrey, and arranged the construction there during 1859 to 1861 of a stately residence, which he named Devonshire Lodge.
- However, he suffered a severe financial reverse shortly before he could move there.
- Consequently, he had to sell Devonshire Lodge and remain at his Barnsbury residence. He never married.
- His posthumous papers were examined by Alfred William Flux, Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, with a view to the publication of some portion of them.
- In 1893, St.
- John's College Library acquired the manuscript papers and a few notebooks.
- The material is contained in 50 boxes, and the majority relates to astronomy and optics, dating from 1854 to 1890.
Read more at Wikipedia