Ralph Copeland FRSE FRAS was an English astronomer and the third Astronomer Royal for Scotland.
13 Facts About Ralph Copeland
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Ralph Copeland spent five years in Australia where he discovered his interest in astronomy.
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Ralph Copeland returned in 1858 to pursue a career in engineering.
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Eager to pursue his astronomical interests, Ralph Copeland built a small observatory, gave up engineering, and then travelled to Germany to study astronomy at the University of Gottingen.
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When he returned to England, as a patron of Lord Rosse, Ralph Copeland brought back German methods of astronomy.
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Ralph Copeland then worked at the Dun Echt Observatory owned by the 26th Earl of Crawford.
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Ralph Copeland was a frequent traveler on worldwide expeditions and observed the 1874 and 1882 transits of Venus from Mauritius and Jamaica, respectively, and undertook other astronomical observations from Greenland.
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On 29 January 1889, Ralph Copeland became Astronomer Royal for Scotland, whereupon he first worked at the Calton Hill Observatory, Edinburgh.
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Ralph Copeland was tasked to select a site for a new observatory, eventually choosing Blackford Hill, Edinburgh.
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Ralph Copeland was married twice, firstly in 1859 to Susannah Milner, and secondly in 1871 to Theodora Benfey.
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Ralph Copeland had six children, one of whom was Fanny Susan Copeland.
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Ralph Copeland is buried with his second wife, Theodara, and his daughters Paula Theodora Copeland and Agnes Copeland MD.
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Mount Ralph Copeland is the site of the highest recorded snowfall in Canada in one season.