Piazzi-Smyth; Charles (1819-1900); astronomer

• Piazzi-Smyth; Charles (1819-1900); astronomer

Charles Piazzi Smyth was born in Italy in 1819, the son of William Henry Smyth (1788-1865), a naval officer and respected amateur astronomer, and Annabella Warrington (1788-1873). His godfather was Giuseppe Piazzi, a famous Sicilian astronomer.
In 1855, he married Jessie Duncan. Piazzi Smyth died in 1900 and was buried alongside his wife Jessie beneath a pyramid tombstone at the church in Sharow, near Ripon.

Piazzi-Smyth was Astronomer Royal for Scotland and was Professor of Practical Astronomy at Edinburgh University from 1845. He was a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, but was forced to resign after the methods he used in his study of the Giza pyramid were found to be mathematically inadequate. During his career, he made many expeditions, most notably to Tenerife and Egypt. As well as astronomy, he was interested in pyramids - he carried out a survey of the great Giza pyramid in 1865. He was also interested in spectroscopy (astrophysics) and meteorology, especially cloud formations. When he retired in 1888, he moved to Ripon. He lived in a large house called 'Clova' where he built a large gyrating spectroscope and designed a special camera, with which he took over five hundred pictures of cloud formations.

Charles Piazzi Smyth was born in Italy in 1819, the son of William Henry Smyth (1788-1865), a naval officer and respected amateur astronomer, and Annabella Warrington (1788-1873). His godfather was Giuseppe Piazzi, a famous Sicilian astronomer.\nIn 1855, he married Jessie Duncan. Piazzi Smyth died in 1900 and was buried alongside his wife Jessie beneath a pyramid tombstone at the church in Sharow, near Ripon.

International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa

CALM accession entry
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