South, James (1785–1867)

English astronomer. He published two catalogues of double stars in 1824 and 1826, the former with John Herschel. For this catalogue, they were awarded the Gold Medal of the Astronomical Society in 1826. He was knighted in 1830.

South was born in London. He became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons before renouncing medicine at the age of 31 in order to devote himself to astronomy. His marriage in 1816 made him wealthy enough to establish observatories in London and in Paris and equip them with the best telescopes available. He had a private observatory at Southwark.

He collaborated with Herschel 1821–23 in a programme of measurements of double stars, and later worked with Laplace. He was one of the founders of the London (later Royal) Astronomical Society, and was elected its president in 1829.

South had an argumentative temperament, and his public criticism of the Royal Society for participating in the decline of the sciences in Britain offended other Fellows.