Theodore Evelyn Reece Phillips (28 March 1868 – 13 May 1942), known as T. E. R. Phillips, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

. Phillips was born in Kibworth,

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, the son of the Rev. Abel Phillips, a missionary in West Africa, and was educated at

Yeovil Grammar School Yeovil Grammar School was a grammar school in Yeovil, Somerset, which was founded or refounded about 1860 and closed in 1906 when its only headmaster, Henry Monk, retired. The 19th-century grammar school grew out of a long-established charity sc ...

. He then joined St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He held the following curacies: Holy Trinity,

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

(1891), Hendford, Yeovil (1895), St. Saviour's, Croydon (1901), and

Ashtead, Surrey Ashtead is a large village in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, approximately south of central London. Primarily a commuter settlement, Ashtead is on the single-carriageway A24 between Epsom and Leatherhead. The village is on ...

(1906). In 1907 Phillips married Millicent Harriet Kynaston (ca. 1874-1964). They had one son, John Evelyn Theodore Phillips (1907-1978). In 1916 he was appointed vicar of

Headley Headley may refer to: Places * Headley, Basingstoke and Deane in the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley * Headley, East Hampshire ** Headley Grange, Hampshire * Headley, Surrey Other uses * Headley (surname) * Baron Headley, a title in t ...

where he remained for the rest of his life. As an amateur astronomer, he observed planets including

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

and

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

making a very thorough study of the surface currents on Jupiter. He joined the British Astronomical Association on 25 November 1896 and the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NGO ...

on 12 May 1899. He was director of the Jupiter section of the British Astronomical Association from 1900–1933 and director of the Saturn section from 1935–1940. He was president of the British Astronomical Association between 1914 and 1916. He was president of the Royal Astronomical Society between 1927 and 1929. Has a member of the

IAU The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach ...

commission on planets. He won the

Jackson-Gwilt Medal The Jackson-Gwilt Medal is an award that has been issued by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) since 1897. The original criteria were for the invention, improvement, or development of astronomical instrumentation or techniques; for achievement ...

of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1918. He co-wrote ''Splendour of the Heavens'' with W. H. Steavenson in 1923. In an addition to astronomy, he took an active interest in

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

References

External links

Obituaries

MNRAS 103 (1943) 70–72

(article on honorary degree from Oxford University on 28 February 1942, in lieu of obituary) {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, TER 1868 births 1942 deaths People from Kibworth 19th-century British astronomers 20th-century British astronomers 19th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English Anglican priests Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society People from Mole Valley (district) People educated at Yeovil School