William Parsons, Irish Astronomer
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (June 17, 1800 - October 31, 1867) was an Anglo-Irish astronomer. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and Oxford University's Magdalen College, graduating with honors in mathematics in 1822. He inherited an earldom and a large estate in King's County in Ireland when his father Lawrence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse died in 1841. His 72-inch telescope, Leviathan, built 1845, was the world's largest telescope until the early 20th century. He performed astronomical studies and discovered the spiral nature of some nebulas, today known to be spiral galaxies. His telescope Leviathan was the first to reveal the spiral structure of M51, a galaxy nicknamed later as the Whirlpool Galaxy, and his drawings of it closely resemble modern photographs. He named the Crab Nebula, based on an earlier drawing made with his older 36-inch telescope in which it resembled a crab. A few years later, when the 72-inch (183 cm) telescope was in service, he produced an improved drawing of considerably different appearance, but the original name continued to be used. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for King's County from 1821 to 1834, an Irish representative peer after 1845, president of the Royal Society (1848-1854), and chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin (1862-1867). He died in 1867 at the age of 67. He was the father of Charles Algernon Parson an engineer best known for his invention of the steam turbine.
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