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Professor '''Charles Michie Smith''' [[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]] [[FRSE]] [[Royal Astronomical Society|FRAS]]<ref>{{Cite journal|title=1884MNRAS..44..347. Page 347|url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1884MNRAS..44..347.|access-date=2020-06-21|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|year=1884|volume=44|page=347|bibcode=1884MNRAS..44..347.}}</ref> (13 July 1854–27 September 1922) was a Scottish astronomer. He founded the [[Kodaikanal Solar Observatory]] in the mountains of south India and served as its first Director.<ref name=CurrentScience>{{Cite journal |last1=Rao |first1=N. Kameswara |last2=Vagiswari |first2=A. |last3=Birdie |first3=Christina |date=2014 |title=Charles Michie Smith - founder of the Kodaikanal (Solar Physics) Observatory and beginnings of physical astronomy in India |url=http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/106/03/0447.pdf |journal=Current Science |volume=106 |issue=3 |pages=447–467 |arxiv=1402.6189|bibcode=2014arXiv1402.6189K }}</ref>

==Life==
[[File:Blue Kodaikanal.jpg|thumb|300px|the mountains of Kodaikanal]]
[[File:Kodaikanal Solar Observatory-a.jpg|300px|right|Kodaikanal Solar Observatory]]
Smith was born in [[Keig]] in [[Aberdeenshire]] on 13 July 1854 the son of Jane Robertson and Rev William Pirrie Smith of the newly created [[Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)|Free Church of Scotland]].

He was educated locally then went to first the [[University of Aberdeen]] then the [[University of Edinburgh]] to study mathematics and physics, graduating BSc in 1876. His tutors included [[Peter Guthrie Tait]] and [[George Chrystal]]. He almost immediately obtained a post as Professor of Physics at [[Madras Christian College]] and began in this role in the summer of 1877 aged 23.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|title=Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002|date=July 2006|publisher=The Royal Society of Edinburgh|isbn=978-0-902-198-84-5|url=https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf|access-date=2018-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074135/https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1882 he was elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Edinburgh]]. His proposers were [[Alexander Crum Brown]], [[Peter Guthrie Tait]], [[George Chrystal]] and [[William Thomson, Lord Kelvin]].<ref name=":0" /> In 1884 he was elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Astronomical Society]]. <ref>{{Cite journal|title=1884MNRAS..44..347. Page 347|url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1884MNRAS..44..347.|access-date=2020-06-21|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|year=1884|volume=44|page=347|bibcode=1884MNRAS..44..347.}}</ref>

In 1891 he left Madras Christian College to become Government Astronomer for Madras, replacing the recently deceased [[N. R. Pogson|Professor N. R. Pogson]]. In 1899 he published the New Madras General Catalogue (of Stars) listing 5303 stars visible from the observatory.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Prof. C. Michie Smith |journal=Nature |date=4 November 1922 |volume=110 |issue=2766 |pages=610 |doi=10.1038/110610a0|bibcode=1922Natur.110Q.610. |s2cid=4115908 |doi-access=free }}</ref> He left this role in 1899 to become the first Director of the [[Kodaikanal Solar Observatory]].<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1923 | doi=10.1093/mnras/83.4.245a |title=Obituary Notices : Fellows :- Smith, Charles Michie |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=83 |page=245 |bibcode = 1923MNRAS..83R.245.|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Smith retired from his Directorship in 1911, but continued to live at [[Kodaikanal]]. He died at his home there on 27 September 1922 and is buried locally with his spinster sister Lucy Smith, who joined him in later life.<ref name=CurrentScience/> Smith was succeeded by his assistant [[John Evershed]] as observatory director.

==Publications==
*''The Green Sun'' (1883)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lockyer|first=Norman|url=http://archive.org/details/nature2918831884lock|title=Nature|date=1869|publisher=[London, etc., Macmillan Journals Ltd., etc.]|others=Smithsonian Libraries}}</ref>
*''The Remarkable Sunsets'' (1884)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lockyer|first=Norman|url=http://archive.org/details/nature2918831884lock|title=Nature|date=1869|publisher=[London, etc., Macmillan Journals Ltd., etc.]|others=Smithsonian Libraries}}</ref>
*''The Green Flash at Sunset'' (1890)<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/naturejournal41londuoft|title=Nature|date=1869|publisher=London, Macmillan|others=Gerstein - University of Toronto}}</ref>
*''[[Solar eclipse|Annular Eclipse]] of the Sun'' (1894)<ref>{{Cite journal|title=1894MNRAS..55...76S Page 76|url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1894MNRAS..55...76S|access-date=2020-06-22|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|bibcode=1894MNRAS..55...76S|last1=Smith|first1=C. Michie|year=1894|volume=55|page=76}}</ref>
*''The [[Kodaikanal Solar Observatory|Kodaikanal Solar Physics Observatory]] in India'' (1895)<ref>{{Cite journal|title=1895PASP....7..113S Page 113|url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1895PASP....7..113S|access-date=2020-06-22|journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific|bibcode=1895PASP....7..113S|last1=Smith|first1=C. Michie|year=1895|volume=7|issue=41|page=113|doi=10.1086/121008|doi-access=free}}</ref>
*''Observations of the [[Leonids]]'' (1899)<ref>{{Cite journal|title=1900MNRAS..60..262S Page 262|url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1900MNRAS..60..262S|access-date=2020-06-22|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|bibcode=1900MNRAS..60..262S|last1=Smith|first1=C. Michie|year=1900|volume=60|page=262|doi=10.1093/mnras/60.4.262|doi-access=free}}</ref>
*''A Solar Outburst and a [[Magnetic Storm]]'' (1909)<ref>{{Cite journal|title=1909MNRAS..70...23S Page 23|url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1909MNRAS..70...23S|access-date=2020-06-22|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|bibcode=1909MNRAS..70...23S|last1=Smith|first1=C. Michie|year=1909|volume=70|page=23|doi=10.1093/mnras/70.1.23|doi-access=free}}</ref>
*''Observations of [[Halley's Comet]]'' (1910, with [[John Evershed]])<ref>{{Cite journal|title=1910KodOB...2..199S Page 199|url=http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1910KodOB...2..199S|access-date=2020-06-22|journal=Kodaikanal Observatory Bulletins|bibcode=1910KodOB...2..199S|last1=Smith|first1=C. Michie|last2=Evershed|first2=John|year=1910|volume=2|page=199}}</ref>

==Family==
He was unmarried and had no children.

His older brother was [[William Robertson Smith]].

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Charles Michie}}
[[Category:1854 births]]
[[Category:1922 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Aberdeenshire]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Scottish astronomers]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh]]

Charles Michie Smith - Revision history

>OAbot: Open access bot: doi added to citation with #oabot.