Why is the Solar Rotation a Pirouette and not a Maelstrom?
The lecture will take place in the Main Lecture Theatre, on Tuesday 7 December at 5.30 p.m. Solar and stellar rotation rates are much lower than standard stellar formation theories predict. In 1960, Sir William McCrea put forward a novel concept of how proto-stars might acquire their rotation, and the lecture will examine this theory. Dr Derek McNally was Sir William McCrea’s PhD student at Royal Holloway from 1957 to 1959, and later an Assistant Lecturer in the Mathematics Department at the College. He then joined the University of London Observatory, UCL. He retired in 1999. Sir William McCrea (1904 – 1999) enjoyed a distinguished research career and played a major public service role in British Astronomy. This was recognised by his election to the Royal Society in 1952, the award of the Gold Medal of the RAS and a knighthood in 1985. Sir William was an Honorary Fellow of Royal Holloway. ENDS Public enquiries to Royal Holloway, University of London, 01784 443004 For press information
