The amateur-turned-professional syndrome: Two Australian case studies

Abstract

In the nineteenth century, and particularly during the era which saw the gradual replacement of positional astronomy by astrophysics, amateur astronomers were able to make an important contribution to international astronomy. Many were blessed with instruments comparable to those found in professional observatories; they pursued the same astronomical research programs as their professional colleagues; published in the same journals; received the same medals and awards; and played key roles in the formation of the earliest astronomical groups and societies. In this healthy environment of amateur-professional co-operation it was possible for talented amateur astronomers to transfer to professional ranks, and the 'amateur-turned-professional' (henceforth ATP) was a distinctive feature of late nineteenth century astronomy. In this paper we focus on two Australian-based ATPs, R.T.A. Innes and C.J. Merfield and examine their contributions as amateur astronomers in Sydney before reviewing the circumstances surrounding their transfer to the Cape Observatory (South Africa) and Sydney Observatory, in 1896 and 1904, respectively.