Obituary: Jon Darius

Jon Darius, astronomer, musician and civil servant: born Montreal 9 May 1948; curatorial staff, Science Museum, London 1980-91, leaving 1991 as Senior Curator, astronomy, mathematics and optics; European Community section, Treasury 1991, Local Government section 1991-93; married 1980 Sally Wainwright; died London 12 July 1993.

JON DARIUS was an astronomer and musician who became a Senior Curator at the Science Museum, and a specialist in the history of scientific instruments. Two years ago he began a new career in the civil service which was tragically cut short by his early death.

Born in Montreal in 1948, Darius took his first degree in physics at McGill University, followed a year later by a BMus in the history of music. In 1970, he came to England, and studied astronomy at University College, London, completing his doctorate in 1976. His career before he joined the staff of the Science Museum in 1980 combined astronomy and music. His specialism of ultraviolet astronomy took him to a variety of jobs in observatories in Chile, Brazil and finally Madrid. He also held the post of lecturer in musical acoustics at the Guildhall School of Music.

In his 10 years at the Science Museum, Darius continued to work with practising astronomers, while making a name for himself in the museum world. He served under five Keepers, and enlarged his original portfolio of astronomy to include surveying, mathematics and optics. His knowledge of both terrestrial and satellite-borne astronomy not only ensured that the museum's collections reflected the latest developments in instrumentation, but also enriched the presentation of space technology. He worked in the team which created the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in 1983. From this sprang his idea of an exhibition of historic scientific photographs, which was realised under the title Beyond Vision, and which Darius also published in book form (1984). The exhibition, after a showing in South Kensington, toured successfully in the United States. His skill as a communicator was also manifest in his articles for the New Scientist and in his many broadcasts on matters astronomical on national radio and television.

When the idea of an international Scientific Instrument Society was mooted in 1983, Darius supported the idea with enthusiasm, and for several years edited the society's Bulletin. In his skilful hands, it became the focus of the growing and successful society's activity, containing a wide variety of articles pertaining to the history of instruments that appealed both to academics and to lay enthusiasts. His growing stature as an 'instrument man' led to his election in 1989 as chairman of the society, an office in which his ability as a public speaker, his fluency in foreign languages, and his personal warmth made him notably successful.

Jon Darius was distinguished by his omnivorous intellectual curiosity and the breadth of his cultural interests; and he could not resist the chance to conquer new fields. This led him to apply successfully for a post in the Treasury in 1990, and it was clear that a new and promising career awaited him. However, fate intervened, and his many friends were deeply moved by the courage and determination with which he fought his illness for the last two years. He married in 1980 Sally Wainwright, who worked for many years at the Royal College of Music, and is an adjudicator and examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and with whom he shared his own musical interests and his love of travel. In his last years they took their greatest pleasure in the farmhouse they bought in France in 1990 with its surroundings in which Jon's connoisseur's delight in fine food and wine could flourish.

(Photograph omitted)