Frank Bateson | |
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| Born | (1909-10-31)31 October 1909 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Died | 16 April 2007(2007-04-16) (aged 97) Tauranga, New Zealand |
| Known for | Variable Star Section, Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
Frank Maine BatesonOBE (31 October 1909 – 16 April 2007) was a New Zealandastronomer who specialised in the study of variable stars.
Bateson was born inWellington on 31 October 1909 and studied inAustralia and New Zealand. His interest inastronomy developed during his school years inSydney, Australia[1] when he readRobert Stawell Ball'sGreat Astronomers.[2] In 1927, at the age of 18, he founded the Variable Star Section (VSS) of theRoyal Astronomical Society of New Zealand. He remained as director of the VSS until 2004.[3]
Under his lead, the VSS observedvariable stars and collated reports on stars from both professional andamateur observers throughout the world and was known worldwide for its work in the field of variable stars.[1] He was associated with the VSS until his death. He and his wife, Doris, formed a non-profit organisation called Astronomical Research Ltd, which administers the over 1,000,000 observations which have been delivered to the VSS by amateur and professional astronomers worldwide since the onset of the programme.
He served inWorld War II with New Zealand's Home Naval Service, then after the war moved toRarotonga,Cook Islands where he worked until 1960. In1958 he was elected to theParliament of the Cook Islands.[4] He spent much of his career working in the business field while pursuing his astronomical interests as a hobby.
Bateson was instrumental in the founding of theMount John University Observatory nearLake Tekapo, assisting theUniversity of Canterbury in finding an appropriate location for the observatory.[3] Bateson was appointed astronomer-in-charge of the observatory after it opened in 1963; he held this position until his retirement in 1969.
Bateson also authored or co-authored over 300 scientific papers.[1] He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand (RASNZ) in 1963. He served on the society's council for a number of years, including one year as president. He was an honorary member of theRoyal Astronomical Society and theRoyal Astronomical Society of Canada.[5] Bateson was also a member of theInternational Astronomical Union and served as its first representative from New Zealand. He received theJackson-Gwilt Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1960 and an honorary doctorate from theUniversity of Waikato in 1979. He was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire in the1970 New Year Honours for services to astronomy, and theAmateur Achievement Award of theAstronomical Society of the Pacific in 1980. Theasteroid2434 Bateson was named in his honour.[1]
Bateson died at the age of 97 on 16 April 2007, inTauranga, New Zealand.
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by | Amateur Achievement Award of Astronomical Society of the Pacific 1980 | Succeeded by |
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