Hermann A. Brück, Mary T. Brück.
The Peripatetic Astronomer: the life of Charles Piazzi Smyth.
Adam Hilger. 1988
In many ways Piazzi Smyth was far ahead of his time. He recognised the importance of high-altitude mountain sites as bases for astronomical observations. In fact the Canary Islands, which he chose as a location for a mountain telescope, are now the site of a major international observatory. He was a pioneer too in solar spectroscopy, recording thousands of observations until the very last days of his life.
It was Piazzi Smyth’s preoccupation with the mystic cult of the Great Pyramid that eventually tarnished his reputation among some of his colleaques, but by setting this excursion in the context of his more important work, this book has reassessed the contribution of one of the most extraordinary figures to emerge in the Victorian era.
Piazzi Smyth’s unpublished personal journals, covering the 40 years of his life as Astronomer Royal for Scotland, have formed the basis for this book, the first full-length biography. Many of the illustrations are taken from the journals and are in Piazzi Smyth’s own hand, and some of his early photographic work is also included.