Quick Facts
Biography
Arthur Alcock Rambaut (21 September 1859 - 14 October 1923) was an Irish astronomer.
Life
Rambaut was born in County Waterford, Ireland, the third son of Rev. Edmund F. Rambaut, vicar of Christ Church, Blackrock, County Dublin. He was educated at Rathmines School, Dublin, The Royal School, Armagh and Trinity College, Dublin, where he won a scholarship in Natural Science in 1880. The following year he was a gold medallist in mathematics.
In 1882 he became assistant to Robert S. Ball in Dunsink Observatory, where he remained for ten years. When Ball moved to Cambridge Rambaut took over as Andrews Professor of Astronomy and Royal Astronomer of Ireland. On the death of E. J. Stone, Rambaut became Radcliffe Observer in the University of Oxford, and was succeeded by Charles Jasper Joly. He remained at Oxford until his death.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1900 and served twice on the committee of the Royal Astronomical Society.
He married in 1883 Emily Longford, with whom he had three sons. He was a brother of the psychiatrist Daniel Frederick Rambaut.