Roderick Oliver Redman FRS (1905–1975) was Professor of Astronomy at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Education

Redman was born at Rodborough near

Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Sited below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the ...

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and educated at Marling School and

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

Career

He was director of the University of Cambridge Observatories 1947–72. He had started his career at the

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill (Saanich), Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian Government, Canadian government. The Dominion architect responsible for the bui ...

(DAO) in Victoria,

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1928–31. He moved to

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, UK and was Assistant Director at the Solar Physics Observatory 1931–37. he was then Chief Assistant at the

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Radcliffe Observatory outside

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from 1939–1947. Among his doctoral students were John Hutchings, Colin Scarfe, and Gordon Walker. He received his Ph.D. under the direction of Arthur Stanley Eddington in 1931. In 1946 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. From 1947 to 1972 he was Director of Combined Observatories. He served as president of the

Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...

from 1959 to 1961.

Honors

The inner main-belt asteroid 7886 Redman, discovered by Canadian astronomer David D. Balam in 1993, has been named in his memory, jointly with the astronomer Russell Ormond Redman. No relation except for their shared initials and the fact that both worked at the DAO during significant parts of their careers. The official naming citation was published on 10 June 1998 ().

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Redman, Roderick Oliver 1905 births 1975 deaths Academics of the University of Cambridge Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society People educated at Marling School Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society People from Rodborough