astronomy

Vincent Cartledge Reddish

Vincent Cartledge Reddish is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Vincent Cartledge Reddish rather than just read about it. In short: Vincent Cartledge Reddish (28 April 1926 – 2 January 2015) was a British astronomer who spent much of his career in Edinburgh, where he made significant contributions to British optical astronomy. He occupied the positions of Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Director of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh and Regius Professor at the University of Edinburgh from 1975–80.

Key takeaways

Vincent Cartledge Reddish belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Vincent Cartledge Reddish to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Vincent Cartledge Reddish from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Vincent Cartledge Reddish (28 April 1926 – 2 January 2015) was a British astronomer who spent much of his career in Edinburgh, where he made significant contributions to British optical astronomy. He occupied the positions of Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Director of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh and Regius Professor at the University of Edinburgh from 1975–80.

Life and career Reddish was born in Leigh in Lancashire, and later moved to Culceth. He joined the Navy, but later went to Wigan Technical College, followed by PhD studies at University College London. He became a Lecturer in Edinburgh (1954), and then in Manchester (1959), before returning to Edinburgh as Principal Scientific Officer at the Royal Observatory. In 1975, following the retirement of Hermann Brück, Reddish was appointed to the "Triple Crown" of Regius Professor of Astronomy, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, and Director of the Royal Observatory. In 1978, Reddish announced his intention to resign from his position (although he remained in post until September 1980), then began a private life at Rannoch Station in Perthshire, undertaking controversial research on dowsing, as well as less controversial work on the design of Chinese Junk sails. He moved with his family to Livingston in 1998.

Scientific Accomplishments Reddish's personal research was in the fields of stellar clusters, and later in galaxy evolution . He wrote many research articles, and also three textbooks. However, his main accomplishments were in scientific leadership. During the 1960s and 1970s, he co-led the creation of "GALAXY", an automated plate measuring machine; led the development of the UK Schmidt Telescope in Australia, and spearheaded the early development of a radically new facility, a four metre class IR telescope in Hawaii (UKIRT).

Dowsing Reddish was convinced of the reality of dowsing, which was controversial at the time and still is. After his resignation in 1980, he could pursue his research in this area, leading eventually to a book and some technical papers.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vincent Cartledge Reddish

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vincent Cartledge Reddish claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Vincent Cartledge Reddish before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Vincent Cartledge Reddish ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Vincent Cartledge Reddish

In research: Vincent Cartledge Reddish appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Vincent Cartledge Reddish in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Vincent Cartledge Reddish is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1926 births, 2015 deaths, Optical astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vincent Cartledge Reddish outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Vincent Cartledge Reddish” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Vincent Cartledge Reddish in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Vincent Cartledge Reddish means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Vincent Cartledge Reddish out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vincent Cartledge Reddish in simple terms?

Why does Vincent Cartledge Reddish matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Vincent Cartledge Reddish?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Vincent Cartledge Reddish.