| Fortunately the story continues, but we now leave Ireland for pastures new. Cambridge was one of the main centres for astronomical research at the time, and the leading figure there was John Adams. He had been in residence there since the late 30’s, graduating with distinction in 1843, predicting the position of Neptune in 1845( OK correction—jointly predicting ) and becoming Lowndean professor in 1858. This was a position he held until his death in 1892. Back at Dunsink, Robert Ball was now 52 years of age and had a growing family to support. His salary in Ireland was not great and he believed he could do better. The vacancy at Cambridge was his chance to advance his career and his status in the scientific world. He applied for the vacant chair. He was successful and in a letter to his mother pointed out that : “It was the highest scientific chair in England, if not in Europe, the Solar System, no, the Milky Way, indeed the highest in the whole Universe.” Ball settled into Cambridge very well, and enjoyed all the trappings of the senior position he had obtained, including his own house in the grounds of the observatory. His title was Lowndean Professor of Astronomy. He was appointed Director of Cambridge Observatory, and given an Honorary MA. In a letter to his sister he remarked: “ Tomorrow night we expect to sleep in our new home. A beautiful one it is in many respects. Indeed as every day passes, I am more and more thankful for the change we have made... You can have no idea how charming is the prospect of life here. It seems to me that there are scores of hospitable houses open, and genial and pleasant welcomes everywhere. The people not too rich. Then we are to have a telephone. Vehicles of any kind at the door in a quarter of an hour, shopping and all the rest done by telephone! It is connected with the Post Office, so that telegrams can be sent all over the country and the world from our own hall. There is pleasant society in King’s College. Indeed, I feel quite at home everywhere now. Small incidents of the change loom into importance. When I arrived, the two things I appreciated most were two pipes, not for tobacco, not pipes of port, but just a gas pipe and a water pipe, conveying the gas and the liquid of which we were so destitute at Dunsink!” At Dunsink it was water from the Well, and no gas at all. Surprisingly little is written about his work at Cambridge, although one of his first tasks was to seek funding for a new telescope and dome, fortunately money from a trust was available, courtesy of a legacy from Miss Anne Sheepshanks, after whom the telescope was named. It was a polar conde by Howard Grubb and had a 12.5p-v lens. The main instrument when he arrived was the Northumberland Equatorial, an 11.5” achromatic doublet with a focal length of 19.5ft. It would seem that he was kept busy during the term tutoring and fulfilling his duties at the observatory, although not doing any observations himself. His lecture tours continued apace as did his writing. Among his many students would have been E T Whittaker later Astronomer Royal for Ireland, and his own successor at Cambridge, Arthur Eddington, famous for his work on Relativity. Of course, his books were now well known and many ran to several editions and reprints. An indication of his busy schedule can be seen from his Diary dated November 1893: |
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