William Rutter Dawes

William Rutter Dawes (born March 19, 1799, London—died Feb. 15, 1868, Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, Eng.) was an English astronomer known for his extensive measurements of double stars and for his meticulous planetary observations. Trained as a physician, Dawes practiced at Haddenham and (from 1826) Liverpool; subsequently he became a Nonconformist clergyman. In 1829 he set up a private observatory at Ormskirk, Lancashire, where he measured more than 200 double stars before taking charge of George Bishop’s...