Charles Dillon Perrine
Encyclopedia
Charles Dillon Perrine (July 28, 1867 – June 21, 1951) was an American astronomer
living in Argentina
.
Born in Steubenville, Ohio
, a son of Peter and Elizabeth McCauley Perrine, and a descendant of Daniel Perrin
, "The Huguenot
", he worked at Lick Observatory
from 1893 to 1909 and then was director of the Argentine National Observatory (today, Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba) http://www.oac.uncor.edu/apache2-default/adminweb/html/WEB/Surf/M1SM4.html in Argentina
from 1909 until 1936.
Between 1900 and 1908, he 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
.
He discovered two moon
s 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.
He 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 disidente in the city of Córdoba
.
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
living in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Born in Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, a son of Peter and Elizabeth McCauley Perrine, and a descendant of Daniel Perrin
Daniel Perrin
Daniel Perrin was one of the first permanent European inhabitants of Staten Island, New York. Known as "The Huguenot", he arrived in New York Harbor from the Isle of Jersey on July 29, 1665 aboard the ship Philip, under the command of Philip Carteret...
, "The Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
", he worked at Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA...
from 1893 to 1909 and then was director of the Argentine National Observatory (today, Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba) http://www.oac.uncor.edu/apache2-default/adminweb/html/WEB/Surf/M1SM4.html in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
from 1909 until 1936.
Between 1900 and 1908, he accompanied four eclipse expeditions and was in charge of the one sent from Lick Observatory to Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
in 1901. Also in 1901, he and George Ritchey observed the apparent superluminal motion
Superluminal motion
In astronomy, superluminal motion is the apparently faster-than-light motion seen in someradio galaxies, quasars and recently also in some galactic sources called microquasars...
in the nebulosity surrounding Nova Persei 1901
GK Persei
GK Persei was a bright nova occurring in 1901. It reached a maximum magnitude of 0.2, the brightest nova of modern times until Nova Aquilae 1918...
.
He discovered two moon
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
s of Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
, today known as Himalia
Himalia (moon)
Himalia is the largest irregular satellite of Jupiter, the sixth largest overall in size, and the fifth largest in mass. It was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at the Lick Observatory on 3 December 1904 and is named after the nymph Himalia, who bore three sons of Zeus .- Discovery...
(in 1904) and Elara
Elara (moon)
Elara is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at Lick Observatory in 1905. It is the eighth largest moon of Jupiter and is named after the mother by Zeus of the giant Tityus....
(in 1905). They were simply designated "Jupiter VI" and "Jupiter VII" and were not given their present names until 1975.
He co-discovered the lost periodic comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
18D/Perrine-Mrkos
18D/Perrine-Mrkos
18D/Perrine–Mrkos is a periodic comet in our solar system, originally discovered by the American-Argentine astronomer Charles Dillon Perrine on December 9, 1896...
and several other comets. Antonín Mrkos
Antonín Mrkos
Antonín Mrkos was a Czech astronomer, born in Střemchoví, Czechoslovakia.- Biography :Mrkos entered the University in Brno in 1938. His studies were interrupted by the onset of World War II, and in 1945 he became a staff member at the Skalnaté Pleso Observatory in Slovakia...
later named 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...
6779 Perrine
6779 Perrine
6779 Perrine is a main-belt asteroid discovered on February 20, 1990 by Z. Vavrova at Klet.It is named for Charles Dillon Perrine .- External links :*...
after him. The lunar crater Perrine
Perrine (crater)
Perrine is a lunar crater that is located on the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the west of the large walled plain Landau, and to the northeast of the crater Charlier. To the north-northwest is the smaller Gullstrand....
is also named after him.
He promoted the study of astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
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 disidente in the city of Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
.
Obituaries
- MNRAS 112 (1952) 273
- Nature 168 (1951) 409
- Popular Astronomy 59 (1951) 388
- PASP 63 (1951) 259