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The astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi was a friend of Smyth's father, Admiral William Henry Smyth, and his own godfather. After schooling at Bedford Grammar School, Charles Piazzi Smyth went to South Africa in 1835 to assist Thomas Maclear at the Cape Observatory. There he used his artistic talent to draw Halley's comet (1836) and the great daylight comet (1843) and studied polarising effects in the latter. He took the earliest photographs known of South African scenes. He was appointed Astronomer Royal for Scotland and Professor of Practical Astronomy in Edinburgh in 1846. He made notable contributions to solar spectroscopy and was a pioneer in mountain astronomy. In Edinburgh he made arrangements for the One O'clock Time Signal from Nelson's Monument and the firing of the gun at Edinburgh Castle.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Title
Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819–1900), FRSE
Date
c.1900
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 75 x W 62 cm
Accession number
PCF06
Acquisition method
bequeathed by the sitter, 1900
Work type
Painting
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
22–26 George Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ Scotland
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