Christine Cole Catley (1922–2011)

Cole Catley has done a thorough job of researching Tinsley's personal life, and gives a fascinating account of her childhood and formative years. She does less well with Tinsley's scientific work, and one can't help but feel that she remains somewhat in awe of her subject. She appears to consider the young Tinsley's interest in a book by Fred Hoyle as a complete explanation for what sparked her subsequent career, but this seems a little glib: many amateur astronomers will recall being inspired by a favourite astronomy book from childhood, but few of us have gone on to become world leaders in the field. Readers with little or no astronomical background are unlikely to find this a problem, but those seeking more information as to what Tinsley actually did and how she did it will be disappointed.

For example, Tinsley's years at the University of Canterbury are covered in some detail, but there is little mention of what subjects were covered in her c. 1960 physics degree, information which could surely have been readily located from her academic record. Where and from whom did she learn her astronomy, her relativity, her astrophysics, subjects which would have been well outside most mainstream New Zealand university physics courses at that time? Likewise, we are told several times that one of Tinsley's unique assets was her ability to spot connections between apparently unrelated research ideas and synthesise them into new knowledge, but are given few tangible examples. Tinsley thoroughly deserves a full scientific biography: let us hope that Cole Catley's excellent personal biography will inspire someone to write it.… (plus d'informations)