Robert Methven Petrie

"Robert Petrie" redirects here. For the television character, see The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Robert Methven Petrie (May 15, 1906 – April 8, 1966) was a Canadian astronomer.^[1]

Robert Methven Petrie
Born	(1906-05-15)May 15, 1906 St Andrews, Scotland
Died	April 8, 1966(1966-04-08) (aged 59) Victoria, British Columbia
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Awards	Henry Marshall Tory Medal (1961)
Scientific career
Fields	astronomy
Institutions	Dominion Astrophysical Observatory

He was born in Scotland but emigrated to Canada at the age of five. He grew up in Victoria, British Columbia and studied physics and mathematics at the University of British Columbia. He began working summer jobs at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and became fascinated with astronomy.

He obtained his PhD at the University of Michigan in 1932. He taught there until 1935, when he joined the staff of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. In 1951 he became its director.

He extensively studied spectroscopic binaries.

The crater Petrie on the Moon is named after him. The Canadian Astronomical Society established the R. M. Petrie Prize Lecture to honor his astrophysical research.