Thomas Hinsley Astbury: from an English market town schoolroom to the internal constitution of the stars

TL;DR

The paper chronicles the life and astronomical contributions of T. H. Astbury, highlighting his transition from a schoolhead to a notable amateur astronomer who discovered variable stars and gained recognition from prominent astronomers.

Contribution

It presents a historical account of Astbury's discoveries and his influence on professional astronomers, emphasizing his role in variable star research.

Findings

Discovered five variable stars including RT Aurigae

Gained recognition from leading astronomers of the era

Contributed to the understanding of stellar variability

Abstract

T. H. Astbury (1858-1922) was for many years the much-respected headmaster of a boys' junior school in the English market town of Wallingford. By night he was a dedicated amateur astronomer who enjoyed observing meteors, variable stars and many other objects. He began to search few new variable stars, his first discovery being the bright Cepheid variable, RT Aurigae. This, along with his discovery of 4 other variable stars, brought him to attention of some of the most famous professional astronomers of the age, including Herbert Hall Turner, Frank Dyson and Arthur Eddington.