Charles Dillon Perrine
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Charles Dillon Perrine | |
|---|---|
 Charles Dillon Perrine | |
| Born | July 28, 1867 |
| Died | June 21, 1951 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Himalia Elara |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | astronomy |
| Institutions | Lick Observatory |
Charles Dillon Perrine (July 28, 1867 – June 21, 1951) was an American astronomer living in Argentina. He won the Lalande Prize in 1897.[1]
Born in Steubenville, Ohio, a son of Peter and Elizabeth McCauley Perrine,[2] and a descendant of Daniel Perrin, "The Huguenot", he worked at Lick Observatory in California from 1893 to 1909 and then was director of the Argentine National Observatory (today, Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba)[3] in Argentina from 1909 until 1936.
Between 1900 and 1908, Perrine accompanied four eclipse expeditions and was in charge of the one sent from Lick Observatory to Sumatra in 1901. Also in 1901, he and George Ritchey observed the apparent superluminal motion in the nebulosity surrounding Nova Persei 1901.[2]
He discovered two moons of Jupiter, today known as Himalia (in 1904) and Elara (in 1905). They were simply designated "Jupiter VI" and "Jupiter VII" and were not given their present names until 1975.
Perrine co-discovered the lost periodic comet 18D/Perrine-Mrkos and several other comets. Antonín Mrkos later named the asteroid 6779 Perrine after him. The lunar crater Perrine is also named after him.
He promoted the study of astrophysics in Argentina and pushed for the construction of a large telescope (the Bosque Alegre telescope), which however was not completed until 1942 (he had retired in 1936). He remained in Argentina after retirement and died there, in Villa General Mitre (which has since been renamed to its original name of Villa del Totoral). He is buried in the Cementerio de Disidentes in the city of Córdoba.
Comets discovered or co-discovered
- C/1895 W1 (Perrine)[4]
- C/1896 C1 (Perrine-Lamp)[4]
- C/1896 V1 (Perrine)[4]
- 18D/Perrine-Mrkos
- C/1897 U1 (Perrine)[4]
- C/1898 L2 (Perrine)[4]
- C/1898 R1 (Perrine-Chofardet)[4]
References
- ^ "Perrine, Charles Dillon". New International Encyclopedia. Vol. 18. 1918. p. 364.
- ^ a b Leonard, John (1901). Who's Who in America, Vol. II. Chicago, Illinois: A. N. Marquis and Co. p. 885.
- ^ "Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba". Oac.uncor.edu. 1908-09-27. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
- ^ a b c d e f Kronk, Gary W. (2003). "Comet Designation Index, years 1892–1899". Cometography: A Catalog of Comets. Vol. vol. 2: 1800–1899. p. 837. ISBN 0521585058.
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External links
- C. Perrine @ Astrophysics Data System
- Photographs taken by Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory from the Lick Observatory Records Digital Archive, UC Santa Cruz Library's Digital Collections
Obituaries
- MNRAS 112 (1952) 273
- Nature 168 (1951) 409
- Popular Astronomy 59 (1951) 388
- PASP 63 (1951) 259
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