Physics and Astronomy

 

Dr William Tobin (retired April 10, 2006)

 

Position

Senior Lecturer

 

Qualifications

M.A. (Camb )

M.S., Ph.D. (Wisc.)

F.R.A.S.

 

 

 

Contact Details

Email:william.tobin@canterbury.ac.nz (current to 2007)
Postal address: 6 rue Saint Louis, 56000 VANNES, France

 

Undergraduate Courses (2006, Term 1)

ELEC225 Analogue Electronics

ASTR321/PHYS321/ASTR421 Techniques in Observational Astronomy

 

Undergraduate Courses (2005)

ANTA101 Antarctic Studies

ASTR112 Astrophysics

PHYS111 Introductory Physics for Physical Sciences and Engineering

ELEC225 Analogue Electronics

 

Most Recent Research Students

Malcolm Cropp: CCD Photometry of Galactic Clusters (Co-supervisor)

Siramas Komonjinda: A study of binary star orbits using precise radial velocity measurements with the Hercules spectrograph. (Associate Supervisor)

Andrew Rakich: A complete solution for four spherical-mirror anastigmats and investigations into reflecting corrector optical systems (Co-supervisor)

 

Research Interests

Dr William Tobin has recently completed the definitive biography of the 19-th century French physicist Léon Foucault, published in English and French, which has been very well reviewed. In astrophysics, he has studied the deep southern star b Pictoris and hot eclipsing binaries in the Magellanic Clouds.

 

Department Administration

Deputy Director, Mt John University Observatory until retirement

 

Recent Publications

  • "ALFRED DONNÉ AND LÉON FOUCAULT: THE FIRST APPLICATIONS OF ELECTRICITY AND PHOTOGRAPHY TO MEDICAL ILLUSTRATION" Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine, (in press).
  • "PROBING THE FABRIC OF SPACE" William Tobin. Physics Review, 15, (4) 30-33 (2006).
  • "ASTRONOMY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY AND AT THE MOUNT JOHN UNIVERSITY OBSERVATORY. ANNUAL REPORT 2005 " William Tobin. Southern Stars, 45, (1) 9-15 (2006).
  • "ASTRONOMY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY AND AT THE MOUNT JOHN UNIVERSITY OBSERVATORY. REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 2002 JANUARY 1 TO 2003 DECEMBER 31" William Tobin. Southern Stars, 44, (3) 2126 (2005).
  • "STARGAZER: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TELESCOPE" (Book review.) William Tobin. Southern Stars, 44, (3) 20 (2005).
  • "PROBING THE FABRIC OF SPACE: FROM FOUCAULT'S GYROSCOPE TO GRAVITY PROBE B" William Tobin. Southern Stars, 44, (3) 12-14 (2005).
  • "FOUCAULT'S SPINNING MIRROR AND THE DISTANCE TO THE SUN" Anonymous, but written by W. Tobin. Part of report "Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society, Friday 2004 December 10 at 16h00m in the Geological Society Lecture Theatre, Burlington House." Observatory, 125, 131-133 (2005).
  • "ASTRONOMY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY AT THE MT JOHN UNIVERSITY OBSERVATORY. ANNUAL REPORT 2004 " William Tobin. Southern Stars, 44, (2) 18-24 (2005).
  • "VENUS RENDES-VOUS -- J-E ARLOT (EDITOR)" William Tobin. (CD-ROM review.) Southern Stars, 44, (1) 38 (2005).
  • "HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY IN THE SALT ERA" W. Tobin, P.L. Cottrell, S.I. Barnes, M.D. Albrow & G.K. Kershaw. In Stellar Astrophysics with the World's Largest Telescopes, Mikolajewska, J. & Olech, A. (Eds.) 22-25, American Institute of Physics, Melville (2005). (AIP Conference Proceedings No 752)
  • "CCD PHOTOMETRY OF VARIABLE STARS INTHE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS - VII. THE ECLIPSING BINARIES MACHO*05:36:48.7-69:17:00 IN THE LMC AND MOA J005018.4-723855 & J005623.5-722123 IN THE SMC" G.P. Bayne, W. Tobin, J.D. Pritchard, K.R. Pollard & M.D. Albrow. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 349, 833-840 (2004) plus 3 pages of electronic data.
  • "THE VARIABLE CaII ABSORPTIONS IN b PICTORIS: William Tobin, S.I. Barnes & Karen R. Pollard. In Extrasolar planets: Today and Tomorrow, Beaulieu, J.-P, Lecavelier des Etangs, A. & Terquem, C. (Eds.) pp. 327-328 Astronomical Soceity of the Pacific, Provo (2004).
  • "PHOTOMETRY OF ECLIPSING BINARY STARS IN THE LARGE AND SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUDS" G.P. Bayne, W. Tobin et al. Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica (serie de Conferencias) 21, 116-20 (2004).
  • "LEON FOUCAULT ET L'HORLOGERIE ASTRONOMIQUE" William Tobin. Horlogerie Ancienne 55, 6-18 (2004).
  • 1845 LE PREMIER CLICHE" William Tobin. La Recherche Hors Serie 15, 48-49 (2004).
  • "THE LIFE AND SCIENCE OF LEON FOUCAULT: THE MAN WHO PROVED THE EARTH ROTATES" William Tobin. Cambridge University Press xiv+338 pp (2003).
  • "LEON FOUCAULT. LE MIROIR ET LE PENDULE" William Tobin (French adaptation by James Lequeux). EDP-Sciences, Les Ulis. xii+354 pp (2002).
  • "LEON FOUCAULT. LE MIROIR ET LE PENDULE" Laurence Bobis, James Lequeux & William Tobin. Brochure for exhibition at Paris Observatory 2002, October 16-December 15. 16pp.
  • "THE MOA CATALOGUE OF ECLIPSING BINARY STARS IN THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD" G. Bayne, W. Tobin et al. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 331, 609-614 (2002) plus 44 pages of electronic data.
  • "CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MT JOHN SERIES 200 CCD SYSEM" S.I. Barnes, M. Clark, P.L. Cottrell, J.B. Hearnshaw, Orlon K.L. Petterson, Karen R. Pollard, J.D. Pritchard, A. Richards & William Tobin. Southern Stars 39, (1) 1-8 (2000).
  • "THE GREAT COMET OF 1744 AND A POEM BY ALEXANDER MACDONALD ON THE PRETENDER" Andrew Breeze & William Tobin. Eigse 32, 135-7 (2000).
  • "THE VARIABLE CaII ABSORPTION IN b PICTORIS DURING 1998" S.I. Barnes, William Tobin & K.R. Pollard. Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia 17, 241-3 (2000).