He was born on a farm in Hancock County, Ohio, the son of Robert Wilson and Harriet Welsh Campbell. After a few years of local schooling he entered in 1882 the University of Michigan to study civil engineering, graduating Bachelor of Science in 1886. Whilst at university he developed his interest in astronomy when he read Simon Newcomb's Popular Astronomy.[4]
Campbell at the Fourth Conference International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research at Mount Wilson Observatory, 1910
After graduating he was appointed Professor of Mathematics at the University of Colorado but soon moved back to Michigan as an instructor in astronomy. In 1891 he was invited to work on spectroscopy at Lick Observatory in California. Campbell was a pioneer of astronomical spectroscopy and catalogued the radial velocities of stars. He was also recognized for his work in solar eclipse photography. In 1893 he discovered the Wolf–Rayet star HD 184738 (also known as Campbell's hydrogen envelope star).[5][6] He was made a director of Lick Observatory from 1901 to 1930.
In August 1914, Campbell and Erwin Freundlich of the Berlin Observatory were in Russia to photograph a solar eclipse, in an early attempt to test the validity of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. The outbreak of World War I (and in particular Germany's declaration of war against Russia) led to the seizure of Freundlich and his equipment in the Crimea by Russian officers. Campbell, from neutral America, was permitted to continue with his plans, but cloud cover obscured the eclipse. Campbell undertook another attempt to photograph a solar eclipse on June 8, 1918, in Goldendale, in Washington state. But his precision photographic equipment had been retained in Russia four years earlier, and he had to improvise the needed apparatus from existing equipment at the Lick Observatory. The cameras he used were not adequate to provide the measurement accuracy needed to confirm the deflection of star light predicted by Einstein's theory.[7] The equipment from Russia was finally shipped back on August 15, 1917, arriving August 21 the following year.[8]
Confirmation of Einstein's theory came in 1919 in the wake of an expedition led by Arthur Eddington to photograph the eclipse of May 29, 1919. But some uncertainty remained, as well as scepticism fueled in part by anti-German sentiment in the wake of World War I. Final and uncontested confirmation is generally dated to Campbell's 1922 Lick Observatory expedition to Australia to photograph the solar eclipse.[9] Campbell's report of the results state that the observations "furnish a value … which agrees exactly with Einstein's prediction."[10]
He committed suicide in California at the age of 76 by leaping to his death from a fourth-story window in San Francisco.[11][12] He was mostly blind and suffering from bouts of aphasia. This was not only very frustrating to him, but he felt that it left him a burden to his family in terms of care and expense, according to notes he left behind at the time of his death. He married Elizabeth Ballard Thompson in 1892; they had three sons (one of them was WWI ace Douglas Campbell).
He married Elizabeth Ballard Thompson in 1892;[3] they had three sons (one of them was WWI ace Douglas Campbell).[citation needed] Elizabeth contributed greatly to Campbell's work and played an important role in his success as a scientist. She adopted the role of hostess during his time as director of the Lick Observatory, also undertaking public relations work on behalf of the Observatory by writing letters to staff and potential donors and supporters of her husband's work. Elizabeth organised many of the expeditions that Campbell led, arranging the expedition members travel, food, supplies and living quarters. She contributed to the work of the expeditions by undertaking astronomical spectroscopy, developing plates and extensively documented the expeditions including writing two manuscripts.[22]
ReferencesEdit
^Aitken, R. G. (1938). "William Wallace Campbell, 1862-1938". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 50 (296): 204. Bibcode:1938PASP...50..204A. doi:10.1086/124927.
^Moore, J. H. (1939). "William Wallace Campbell, 1862-1938". The Astrophysical Journal. 89: 143. Bibcode:1939ApJ....89..143M. doi:10.1086/144035.
^Campbell, W. W. (1894). "The Wolf-Rayet stars". Astronomy and Astro-Physics. 13: 448–476 (specifically p. 461). Bibcode:1894AstAp..13..448C.
^Swings, P.; Struve, O. (1940). "HD 167362, an object similar to Campbell's hydrogen envelope star" (PDF). Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 26 (7): 454–458. Bibcode:1940PNAS...26..454S. doi:10.1073/pnas.26.7.454. PMC1078208. PMID 16588382.
^Earman, John and Glymour, Clark (1980). "Relativity and eclipses: the British eclipse expeditions of 1919 and their predecessors", Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences, Vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 49-85.
^Campbell, W. W. (October 1918). "The Return of Eclipse Instruments from Russia". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 30 (177): 312. Bibcode:1918PASP...30..312C. doi:10.1086/122763. S2CID 120834946.
^Burgess, A. (August 11, 2017). "The 1922 Eclipse Adventure That Sought to Confirm the Theory of Relativity", Atlas Obscura. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
^Campbell, W. W. (1928). "Observations made with a pair of five-foot cameras on the light- deflections in the Sun's gravitational field at the total eclipse of September 21, 1922". Lick Observatory Bulletin. 397: 160.[2]
^Crawford, R. T. (1915). "Address upon the Presentation of the Bruce Gold Medal to Dr. W. W. CAMPBELL". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 27 (160): 153. Bibcode:1915PASP...27..153C. doi:10.1086/122422. S2CID 123267305.
^C D Waterston; A Macmillan Shearer (July 2006). (PDF). ISBN090219884X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2015. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^Carnegie Institution of Washington. Year Book No. 47, July 1, 1947 – June 30, 1948(PDF). Washington, DC. 1948. p. vi.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^"Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Campbell on Moon". planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. IAU. 2010-10-18.
^"Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Campbell on Mars". planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. IAU. 2010-11-17.
^"List of solar eclipse expeditions". The Adolfo Stahl Lectures in astronomy, delivered in San Francisco, 1916-1917 and 1917-1918. Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 1919. p. 65.
^Schaumberg, D. E.; Osterbrock, D. E. (1993). "Mount Hamilton's Lady Bountiful: Elizabeth Ballard Campbell". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 25: 932–933. Bibcode:1993AAS...182.8004S.
External linksEdit
Works by or about William Wallace Campbell at Wikisource
Bruce Medal page
National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
Portraits of William Wallace Campbell from the Lick Observatory Records Digital Archive, UC Santa Cruz Library's Digital Collections
william, wallace, campbell, april, 1862, june, 1938, american, astronomer, director, lick, observatory, from, 1901, 1930, specialized, spectroscopy, tenth, president, university, california, from, 1923, 1930, born, 1862, april, 1862hancock, county, ohiodiedjun. William Wallace Campbell April 11 1862 June 14 1938 was an American astronomer and director of Lick Observatory from 1901 to 1930 He specialized in spectroscopy 1 2 3 He was the tenth president of the University of California from 1923 to 1930 William Wallace CampbellBorn 1862 04 11 April 11 1862Hancock County OhioDiedJune 14 1938 1938 06 14 aged 76 San Francisco CaliforniaAlma materUniversity of Michigan B S Known forSpectroscopy University PresidentSpouseElizabeth Ballard ThompsonChildrenWallace Douglas KennethAwardsLalande Medal Gold Medal of the RAS Draper Medal Janssen Medal Bruce MedalScientific careerFieldsAstronomyInstitutionsUniversity of California Berkeley Contents 1 Biography 2 Honors and awards 3 Crocker expeditions led by Campbell 4 Family 5 References 6 External linksBiography EditHe was born on a farm in Hancock County Ohio the son of Robert Wilson and Harriet Welsh Campbell After a few years of local schooling he entered in 1882 the University of Michigan to study civil engineering graduating Bachelor of Science in 1886 Whilst at university he developed his interest in astronomy when he read Simon Newcomb s Popular Astronomy 4 nbsp Campbell at the Fourth Conference International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research at Mount Wilson Observatory 1910After graduating he was appointed Professor of Mathematics at the University of Colorado but soon moved back to Michigan as an instructor in astronomy In 1891 he was invited to work on spectroscopy at Lick Observatory in California Campbell was a pioneer of astronomical spectroscopy and catalogued the radial velocities of stars He was also recognized for his work in solar eclipse photography In 1893 he discovered the Wolf Rayet star HD 184738 also known as Campbell s hydrogen envelope star 5 6 He was made a director of Lick Observatory from 1901 to 1930 In August 1914 Campbell and Erwin Freundlich of the Berlin Observatory were in Russia to photograph a solar eclipse in an early attempt to test the validity of Albert Einstein s general theory of relativity The outbreak of World War I and in particular Germany s declaration of war against Russia led to the seizure of Freundlich and his equipment in the Crimea by Russian officers Campbell from neutral America was permitted to continue with his plans but cloud cover obscured the eclipse Campbell undertook another attempt to photograph a solar eclipse on June 8 1918 in Goldendale in Washington state But his precision photographic equipment had been retained in Russia four years earlier and he had to improvise the needed apparatus from existing equipment at the Lick Observatory The cameras he used were not adequate to provide the measurement accuracy needed to confirm the deflection of star light predicted by Einstein s theory 7 The equipment from Russia was finally shipped back on August 15 1917 arriving August 21 the following year 8 Confirmation of Einstein s theory came in 1919 in the wake of an expedition led by Arthur Eddington to photograph the eclipse of May 29 1919 But some uncertainty remained as well as scepticism fueled in part by anti German sentiment in the wake of World War I Final and uncontested confirmation is generally dated to Campbell s 1922 Lick Observatory expedition to Australia to photograph the solar eclipse 9 Campbell s report of the results state that the observations furnish a value which agrees exactly with Einstein s prediction 10 He served as 10th President of the University of California from 1923 to 1930 He also served on the board of trustees for Science Service now known as Society for Science amp the Public from 1923 to 1926 He served three terms as president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1895 1909 and 1918 He committed suicide in California at the age of 76 by leaping to his death from a fourth story window in San Francisco 11 12 He was mostly blind and suffering from bouts of aphasia This was not only very frustrating to him but he felt that it left him a burden to his family in terms of care and expense according to notes he left behind at the time of his death He married Elizabeth Ballard Thompson in 1892 they had three sons one of them was WWI ace Douglas Campbell Honors and awards EditLalande Medal of the French Academy of Sciences 1903 Henry Draper Medal from the National Academy of Sciences 1906 13 Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society 1906 14 Janssen Medal 1910 Bruce Medal 1915 15 Foreign Member of the Royal Society of London 16 1918 Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1920 17 Trustee of the Carnegie Institution 1929 1938 18 Crater Campbell on the Moon 19 Crater on Mars 20 Asteroid 2751 Campbell Campbell Hall on the University of California Berkeley campusCrocker expeditions led by Campbell EditCharles Frederick Crocker and William Henry Crocker financed numerous Lick Crocker solar eclipse expeditions Campbell led several of these expeditions 21 Solar eclipse of January 22 1898 Jeur Maharashtra India Solar eclipse of May 28 1900 Thomaston Georgia Solar eclipse of August 30 1905 Alhama Spain Solar eclipse of January 3 1908 Flint Island Kiribati Solar eclipse of August 21 1914 Brovary Ukraine Solar eclipse of June 8 1918 Goldendale Washington Solar eclipse of September 21 1922 Wallal AustraliaFamily EditHe married Elizabeth Ballard Thompson in 1892 3 they had three sons one of them was WWI ace Douglas Campbell citation needed Elizabeth contributed greatly to Campbell s work and played an important role in his success as a scientist She adopted the role of hostess during his time as director of the Lick Observatory also undertaking public relations work on behalf of the Observatory by writing letters to staff and potential donors and supporters of her husband s work Elizabeth organised many of the expeditions that Campbell led arranging the expedition members travel food supplies and living quarters She contributed to the work of the expeditions by undertaking astronomical spectroscopy developing plates and extensively documented the expeditions including writing two manuscripts 22 References Edit Aitken R G 1938 William Wallace Campbell 1862 1938 Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 50 296 204 Bibcode 1938PASP 50 204A doi 10 1086 124927 Moore J H 1939 William Wallace Campbell 1862 1938 The Astrophysical Journal 89 143 Bibcode 1939ApJ 89 143M doi 10 1086 144035 a b MNRAS 99 1939 317 Obituary Hockey Thomas 2009 The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers Springer Publishing ISBN 978 0 387 31022 0 Retrieved August 22 2012 1 Campbell W W 1894 The Wolf Rayet stars Astronomy and Astro Physics 13 448 476 specifically p 461 Bibcode 1894AstAp 13 448C Swings P Struve O 1940 HD 167362 an object similar to Campbell s hydrogen envelope star PDF Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 26 7 454 458 Bibcode 1940PNAS 26 454S doi 10 1073 pnas 26 7 454 PMC 1078208 PMID 16588382 Earman John and Glymour Clark 1980 Relativity and eclipses the British eclipse expeditions of 1919 and their predecessors Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences Vol 11 no 1 pp 49 85 Campbell W W October 1918 The Return of Eclipse Instruments from Russia Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 30 177 312 Bibcode 1918PASP 30 312C doi 10 1086 122763 S2CID 120834946 Burgess A August 11 2017 The 1922 Eclipse Adventure That Sought to Confirm the Theory of Relativity Atlas Obscura Retrieved November 2 2020 Campbell W W 1928 Observations made with a pair of five foot cameras on the light deflections in the Sun s gravitational field at the total eclipse of September 21 1922 Lick Observatory Bulletin 397 160 2 NNDB UC Presidents University of California University of California 04 27 2007 Web 1 Sep 2011 Archived 2011 07 26 at the Wayback Machine Henry Draper Medal National Academy of Sciences Retrieved 19 February 2011 Awarding of RAS gold medal MNRAS 66 1906 245 Crawford R T 1915 Address upon the Presentation of the Bruce Gold Medal to Dr W W CAMPBELL Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 27 160 153 Bibcode 1915PASP 27 153C doi 10 1086 122422 S2CID 123267305 Dyson F W 1939 William Wallace Campbell 1862 1938 Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 2 7 612 626 doi 10 1098 rsbm 1939 0021 C D Waterston A Macmillan Shearer July 2006 Former Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 2002 Part 1 A J PDF ISBN 090219884X Archived from the original PDF on 24 January 2013 Retrieved 18 September 2015 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a website ignored help Carnegie Institution of Washington Year Book No 47 July 1 1947 June 30 1948 PDF Washington DC 1948 p vi a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Planetary Names Crater craters Campbell on Moon planetarynames wr usgs gov IAU 2010 10 18 Planetary Names Crater craters Campbell on Mars planetarynames wr usgs gov IAU 2010 11 17 List of solar eclipse expeditions The Adolfo Stahl Lectures in astronomy delivered in San Francisco 1916 1917 and 1917 1918 Astronomical Society of the Pacific 1919 p 65 Schaumberg D E Osterbrock D E 1993 Mount Hamilton s Lady Bountiful Elizabeth Ballard Campbell Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 25 932 933 Bibcode 1993AAS 182 8004S External links Edit nbsp Works by or about William Wallace Campbell at Wikisource Bruce Medal page National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir Portraits of William Wallace Campbell from the Lick Observatory Records Digital Archive UC Santa Cruz Library s Digital CollectionsAcademic officesPreceded byDavid Prescott Barrows President of the University of California1923 1930 Succeeded byRobert Gordon Sproul Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Wallace Campbell amp oldid 1170017265, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
