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Alvan Graham Clark

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Alvan Graham Clark
Alvan Clark and his assistant Carl Lundin (right) alongside of the 40-inch lens, 1896.
Born(1832-07-10)July 10, 1832
Fall River, Massachusetts
DiedJune 9, 1897(1897-06-09) (aged 64)
NationalityAmerican
Known forSirius B
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy

Alvan Graham Clark (July 10, 1832 – June 9, 1897), born in Fall River, Massachusetts, was an American astronomer and telescope-maker. He was the son of Alvan Clark, founder of Alvan Clark & Sons.

On January 31, 1862, while testing a new 18½ inch refracting telescope, he made the first observation of Sirius B in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts. The magnitude 8 companion of Sirius is also the first known white dwarf star.

The 18½ inch refracting telescope is still being used at the landmark Dearborn Observatory of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ Circumstances of the day deliver Observatory
  • "Alvan Clark, Astronomy, Biographies". AllRefer.com.
  • The Dearborn Telescope
  • Sirius A & B: A Double Star System In The Constellation Canis Major
  • Northwestern University Astronomy and Astrophysics - History of Dearborn Observatory
  • Look south to see winter's brightest constellations


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