William Stephen Finsen

[5][6] He obtained a DSc in Astronomy from the University of Cape Town and spent almost 50 years working at the Union Observatory in Johannesburg.

[7] Finsen invented an eyepiece interferometer which allowed measurement of very close double stars.

[1] During the second world war Finsen produced some basic films on astronomy which were used to train navigators.

He also designed the Finsen Sun Compass to be used by armoured vehicle drivers in the desert campaigns.

The standard magnetic compasses were useless owing to the large amount of metal in the vehicles.