on the pioneer of science & technology William Parsons/Rosse

What is it about?

The review offers an assessment of the most important publication to-date on William Parsons, Earl of Rosse. A crucial nineteenth century European figure, Parsons' contribution to science and technology has been neglected. As an astronomer, he discovered numerous galaxies and he established the spiral structure of many of them; together with his wife Mary Rosse, he conceived and constructed the biggest telescope in the world for eighty years; and as part of a thriving scientific and artistic family circle in the town of Birr in rural Ireland, including the photographer Mary Rosse and the microscopist Mary Ward, Parsons developed many technological inventions, from steam engines and giant specula, to early automobiles.

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Why is it important?

The review offers an assessment of William Parsons/Rosse's wide-ranging career, and discusses areas neglected in this valuable and interesting collection of essays. For example, the consequences of his astronomical research for contemporary theological debates (in the aftermath of Darwin's work). William and Mary Rosse conceived and constructed the biggest telescope in the world, known as 'The Leviathan' after a Biblical monster, in order to prove the existence of a creator-god. The writer Edgar Allan-Poe took good note. I discuss one of the strangest applications of science and technology ever conceived.