Reverend Sereno Edwards Bishop (7 February 1827–23 March 1909)

American Hawaiian theologian and scientist. Noted for his theory known as "Bishop's Rings", referring to the appearance of bluish and brownish rings around the sun especially following a volcanic eruption. Bishop first observed this phenomenon after the eruption of Krakatoa on 27 August 1883. Born at Kaawaloa, Hawaii. He was the 14th son of North American Missionaries, Reverend Artemas Bishop and Elizabeth Bishop, née Edwards. Bishop's mother died when he was barely a year old. His childhood was spent sheltered from local Hawaiian children and he became a bookish youth. By the age of nine he was studying botany in Hawaii, and at the age of twelve he was sent to America to study. He graduated from Amherst College in 1846 and from Auburn Theological Seminary, New York City in 1851. He married Cornelia A Sessions in May 1852, and in the same year returned to Hawaii to work as a chaplain. Between 1865 and 1877 he was became Principal of the islands' only secondary school. After this, for four years he was employed by the Hawaiian Government Survey Department, and was compiled the first detailed map of the island of Kauai. He continued his survey work independently for another eight years. Although a theologian he immediately accepted the theory of evolution by natural selection. He had a keen interest in geology and volcanology and published his theory known as "Bishop's Rings" which was eventually widely accepted by the scientific community. From 1887 until May 1902 he was editor of the Hawaiian publication The Friend.