John Campbell Brown | |
|---|---|
 John Brown receiving theGold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2012 | |
| Born | 4 February 1947  |
| Died | 16 November 2019 (aged 72) |
| Occupation | |
| Awards | |
| Website | www |
| Academic career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions |
|
| Academic advisor | Peter Alan Sweet |
| Position held | Astronomer Royal for Scotland (1995–2019) |
John Campbell BrownOBE FRSE (4 February 1947 – 16 November 2019) was a Scottish astronomer who worked primarily insolar physics. He held the posts ofAstronomer Royal for Scotland, theRegius Professor of Astronomy at theUniversity of Glasgow, and honorary professorships at both theUniversity of Edinburgh and theUniversity of Aberdeen.
Brown was born inDumbarton, Scotland, in 1947. His interest in astronomy started around age eight, when he read a science fiction novel byPatrick Moore. It developed further in 1957 when he sawComet Arend–Roland through binoculars when aged 10, in the same year that theLovell Telescope atJodrell Bank Observatory opened and Moore's television seriesThe Sky at Night began. Brown built telescopes in his youth, helped by his father, who was an engineer.[1]
He later married Margaret, and had two children. He died suddenly at his home on theIsle of Skye in the early hours of Saturday 16 November 2019, at the age of 72.[1]
Brown went to Hartfield Primary in Dumbarton from 1952 to 1958 andDumbarton Academy from 1958 to 1964.[2] He started an astronomy club aged 16, and later built a 15 cm (6 in) telescope for the club.[1] He studied for anundergraduate degree in physics & astronomy at the University of Glasgow, earning afirst classBSc in 1968.[2] While an undergraduate, he constructed 12-and-22-centimetre-diameter (4+1⁄2-and-8+1⁄2-inch) telescopes.[1] Brown went on to receive aPhD in solarplasma physics in 1973,[2] with a thesis on hard X-rays from the Sun.[1] He received aDSc degree (ahigher doctorate) in plasma astrophysics in 1984.[2]
The University of Glasgow employed him as an astronomyresearch assistant in 1968–70 andlecturer from 1970,[2] while he was still studying for his PhD.[1] In 1978 he was promoted tosenior lecturer, and thenreader in 1980. He received aresearch fellowship from theNuffield Foundation in 1983–1984. He was then promoted tochair of astrophysics from 1984 and became theRegius Professor of Astronomy in 1996. Beginning in 1986, he was head of Glasgow's astronomy & astrophysics research group. Brown received additional appointments ashonorary professor at theUniversity of Edinburgh from 1996, and theUniversity of Aberdeen from 1998.[2][3]
He taught astronomy at all university levels, from first year undergraduate to postgraduate courses.[4]
He led the University of Glasgow research group in theory and modelling of solar and stellar plasmas. Brown used spacecraft data to investigatesolar high energy particles and studiedsolar flares.[4] He is perhaps best known in the community for the development of the Cold Thick Target Model for Solar X-Ray generation.[5][6]
In his role as Astronomer Royal for Scotland, he gave public talks and performances to generate wider awareness of astronomy and its role in culture.[7][8] His efforts inscience communication incorporatedmagic tricks[8] and poetry in theScots language.[9]
He was elected a fellow of theRoyal Society of Edinburgh in 1984.[10] He was appointed the 10thAstronomer Royal for Scotland in February 1995.[2] He was awarded theGold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for his work on solar energetic particles and other contributions to astrophysical research and public outreach.[8] Brown was appointed anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2016 Birthday Honours for services to the promotion of astronomy and science education.[11]
