James Glaisher (1809-1903),British meteorologist and aeronaut. Glaisher worked as an observatory assistant at Cambridge and London,UK,before being promoted to superintendent of the meteorology and magnetism department at the Royal Greenwich Observatory. He devised the dew-point tables for measuring relative humidity,and founded the Meteorological Society. Also a keen balloonist,he made a series of ascents to make measurements of temperature,pressure and humidity at high altitudes. In 1862,Glaisher achieved a higher altitude than any previous passenger balloon,estimated at 11.3 kilometres above sea level,though Glaisher passed out before a barometer reading could be taken. His son,also called James Glaisher,was a mathematician |