A. Laurent
Encyclopedia
| 51 Nemausa 51 Nemausa 51 Nemausa is a large asteroid-belt asteroid similar to 1 Ceres in composition. It was discovered by one "A. Laurent", an obscure figure about whom little is known. Laurent made the discovery from the private observatory of Benjamin Valz in Nîmes, France. The house, at 32 rue Nationale in Nîmes,... |
22 January 1858 |
A. Laurent was a Frenchman
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
who discovered the asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
51 Nemausa
51 Nemausa
51 Nemausa is a large asteroid-belt asteroid similar to 1 Ceres in composition. It was discovered by one "A. Laurent", an obscure figure about whom little is known. Laurent made the discovery from the private observatory of Benjamin Valz in Nîmes, France. The house, at 32 rue Nationale in Nîmes,...
in 1858.
He never made any more asteroid discoveries and not much more seems to be known about him. He was described as a "very skillful young man" (un jeune homme très habile) by Edouard Stephan http://www-obs.cnrs-mrs.fr/patrimoine/stephan2.html.
The asteroid was discovered using the private observatory at the house formerly occupied by Benjamin Valz
Benjamin Valz
Jean Elias Benjamin Valz was a French astronomer.He was born in Nîmes and trained as an engineer. He became interested in astronomy and comets in particular, observing the return of what would later be named Comet Encke...
, who left to become the new director of the Marseille Observatory
Marseille Observatory
Marseille Observatory or Observatoire de Marseille is an astronomical observatory run by the University of Provence. It is located near Marseille, France. In its first incarnation, it was the discovery site of a group of galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet or Hickson 92, discovered by Édouard...
. He entrusted his former observatory to A. Laurent, who later found the asteroid. The house, at 32 rue Nationale in Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, has a plaque commemorating the discovery http://www.netnimes.com/centre_ville_8.htm.
Valz reported the find in a letter to the Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Sciences http://gallica.bnf.fr/scripts/page.exe?O=3003&E=00000189 http://gallica.bnf.fr/scripts/page.exe?O=3003&E=00000190. A. Laurent was awarded the Lalande Prize
Lalande Prize
The Lalande Prize was an award for scientific advances in astronomy, given from 1802 through 1970 by the French Academy of Sciences.The prize was named for, and endowed by, astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 1801...
of the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
in 1858 for his discovery, along with five other asteroid and comet discoverers http://gallica.bnf.fr/scripts/page.exe?O=3005&E=00000481 http://gallica.bnf.fr/scripts/page.exe?O=3005&E=00000482 http://gallica.bnf.fr/scripts/page.exe?O=3005&E=00000483
http://gallica.bnf.fr/scripts/page.exe?O=3005&E=00000634.
In addition, asteroid 162 Laurentia
162 Laurentia
162 Laurentia is a large and dark main-belt asteroid.It was discovered by brothers Paul Henry and Prosper Henry on April 21, 1876, and named after A. Laurent, an amateur astronomer who discovered asteroid 51 Nemausa....
was named in his honour.