{"id":889282,"date":"2026-09-09T13:54:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/889282\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T13:54:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:54:21","slug":"mathematician-delved-into-celestial-mysteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/889282\/","title":{"rendered":"Mathematician delved into celestial mysteries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gazing toward the heavens, our eyes are drawn to mesmerizing galaxies and stars. We wonder where humans fit in the universe. Peering into the endless cosmos, modern telescopes are advanced beyond the imaginations of astronomers from the early 1900s. <\/p>\n

Before eastern Ontario\u2019s brilliant astrophotographer Terence Dickinson (1943-2023) was recognized for sharing his amazing starlight images, an earlier local stargazer envisioned the mysteries of deep space. In 1922, mathematician and astronomer Dr. Harold Kingston was instrumental in establishing London, Ontario\u2019s chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC).<\/p>\n

Harold Reynolds Kingston was born on June 28, 1886 at Picton, Ontario, about 80 kilometres west of Kingston. According to Family Search records, his parents, Joseph J. Kingston (1851-1916) and Annie Elizabeth Reynolds (1858-1943), resided at Hallowell Township with at least three sons. After high school graduation, Harold Kingston was a schoolteacher for several years, then enrolled at Queen\u2019s University in Kingston. Earning a master\u2019s degree in mathematics in 1908, Kingston was hired to teach at a high school in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n

Working toward a doctorate degree, Kingston attended University of Chicago, completing his PhD in 1914, \u201cone year after accepting a position in the Department of Mathematics, University of Manitoba,\u201d said RASC\u2019s Encyclopedia Uranica. He was employed as assistant professor and lecturer from 1913 to 1921 at his alma mater. Kingston then moved to London and the University of Western Ontario, where he \u201chad a distinguished career as head of mathematics department.\u201d<\/p>\n

A passionate amateur astronomer, Kingston applied his mathematic skills to astronomical observations. He was well-positioned when the math department re-adjusted to the department of mathematics and astronomy. New courses were added in the early 1920s, such as \u201cDescriptive Astronomy and Mathematical Astronomy, as well as a graduate course in Celestial Mechanics,\u201d noted University of Western Ontario. (UWO)<\/p>\n

Dr. Kingston\u2019s own career star was shining \u2014 he was appointed dean of arts and science and made principal of University College. The educator also received honorary degrees from Queen\u2019s University and UWO in 1953.<\/p>\n

Immersed in astronomy, Kingston rose through Winnipeg\u2019s RASC chapter\u2019s volunteer ranks to secretary-treasurer then to president of the organization in 1920. His penchant for stars and planets continued in Ontario, where Kingston \u201cgave some popular lectures in astronomy, which aroused great interest and enthusiasm,\u201d said RASC London Centre. A groundswell of interest led to the founding of London\u2019s RASC centre in February 1922, with Harold Kingston named the first president. He held the position until 1930. Kingston was also elected the society\u2019s national president from 1930-1931 and was honorary president for many years.<\/p>\n

Along with lecturing twice in the initial year, Kingston also took time to prepare lists of books at the university library for members, encouraging them to delve into celestial mysteries. Delighting his audience, Kingston\u2019s lectures included \u201cmoving pictures\u201d of an eclipse in 1924, and he devised word jumbles of astronomical names to solve. <\/p>\n

Kingston \u201chosted many council meetings at his home,\u201d said RASC London, gave talks on radio, \u201cand prepared a booklet of star maps.\u201d The scientist spoke at events in Toronto and afar. Following Kingston\u2019s lead, members of the London group also organized meetings with \u201csongs, games, contests and debates.\u201d At the close of meetings, members set up telescopes to raptly gaze at the night skies.<\/p>\n

Although RASC London membership numbers ranged between 30 to 50 people, astronomy activity enchanted locals. Exceptionally popular for decades, a club viewing night in 1939 \u201cattracted 3,000 people who came to view Mars, Jupiter and the Moon through members\u2019 telescopes,\u201d RASC London reported. Not only was Dr. Kingston adept at attracting crowds, he also had a flair for fundraising for a new telescope at Western\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n

Dr. Kingston spoke with Frances Amelia Labatt Cronyn (1868-1941), the widow of politician and lawyer Hume Blake Cronyn, suggesting funding toward an observatory in her husband\u2019s memory. Hume Cronyn (1868-1933) was a Unionist Member of Parliament from 1917-1921 with an interest in science. He had encouraged the federal government to establish what later transformed into the National Research Council. Mrs. Cronyn agreed, gifting the generous amount of $40,000 to establish the Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory.<\/p>\n

Welcoming students and the public, UWO\u2019s observatory was designed by architect Oliver Roy Moore. The limestone and sandstone observatory\u2019s dome was produced \u201cby Perkin-Elmer Corporation in New York, shipped in pieces and assembled on site,\u201d stated \u201cCronyn Observatory Highlights,\u201d University of Western Ontario. The building housed a 254 mm brass refractor telescope with \u201cfinders, German equatorial mount, and pier\u201d purchased \u201cfrom Perkin-Elmer of New York for the sum of $7,500 Cdn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe telescope tube is brass, having a focal length of 4386mm, which yields a speed of f\/17.2,\u201d described UWO. \u201cThe telescope is fitted with 25mm and 90mm finders.\u201d Perhaps related to wartime adjustments \u2014 but to the benefit of the astronomy program\u2014the American firm included a 203 mm Schmidt camera at no cost, featuring \u201ca 300 mm diameter spherical mirror (an 8\u201d\/12\u201d design).\u201d The Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory opened on October 25, 1940. Dr. Kingston settled into an office on the observatory\u2019s main floor, with his own 75 mm brass reflecting telescope.<\/p>\n

On February 10, 1963, Dr. Harold Kingston died at London. His wife of 48 years was Ethel Maude Holt, born at Hallowell Township in 1884; she died in July 1956. The boy from Picton grew up to teach the beauty of math and then shared the universe through the lens of a grand observatory telescope. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Headshot\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSusanna McLeod is a writer living in Kingston, Ontario.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gazing toward the heavens, our eyes are drawn to mesmerizing galaxies and stars. We wonder where humans fit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":889283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[49,48,45421,54342,66,306,304839],"class_list":["post-889282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-city-of-kingston","tag-kingston","tag-science","tag-space","tag-ygk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=889282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/889283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=889282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=889282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=889282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}