Contents
James Dunlop
Cataloguing stars and deep-sky objects in the southern sky.
Southern sky survey
- Born
- 31 October 1793
- Birthplace
- Scotland
- Died
- 22 September 1848
More people
James Dunlop
Scottish observer whose Australian work contributed to nineteenth-century star catalogues. Worked with Thomas Brisbane at Parramatta Observatory.
Early life
Early instruments
The son of a weaver in Dalry, developed an interest in astronomy and was constructing telescopes by 1810.
Career
- 1821
New South Wales
Travelled with Brisbane to help establish an observatory.
- 1823–1826
Stellar observations
Carried out extensive observations for a southern star catalogue.
- 1826
Independent survey
Began observing double stars and deep-sky objects from his own home.
Contributions
Southern sky survey
Recorded thousands of stars and compiled observations of nebulae and star clusters.
Beyond work
Retirement at Brisbane Water
Married Jean Service in 1816. After declining health curtailed his observing, he retired to his farm on Brisbane Water in 1847; the couple had no children.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Biographical references ↗Retirement at Brisbane Water — biographical source ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
Photo: Painted portrait by Joseph Backler / State Library of New South Wales. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.