Cornelis Johannes van Houten
Encyclopedia
Cornelis Johannes van Houten (1920 – August 24, 2002) was a Dutch astronomer
, sometimes referred to as Kees van Houten.
Born in The Hague
, he spent his entire career at Leiden University
except for a brief period (1954–1956) as research assistant at Yerkes Observatory
. He received his undergraduate degree
in 1940, but World War II
interrupted his studies and he did not get his Ph.D.
until 1961 (on the surface photometry of extragalactic nebulae).
He married fellow astronomer Ingrid Groeneveld (who became Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld
) and together they became interested in asteroid
s. They had one son, Karel.
In a jointly-credited trio with Tom Gehrels
and Ingrid, and occasionally including fellow astronomers Lewis Daly and Bernhard Schmidt
, he was an extremely prolific discoverer of many thousands of asteroids. Gehrels did a sky survey using the 48-inch Schmidt telescope
at Palomar Observatory
and shipped the plates to the van Houtens at Leiden Observatory
, who analyzed them for new asteroids. The trio are jointly credited with several thousand discoveries.
From the statistical properties uncovered it became clear that asteroids fall into certain "families".
He also studied the radial velocities
of close binary star
s. He never retired, but remained active and published articles until his death, on asteroids and eclipsing binaries.
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...
, sometimes referred to as Kees van Houten.
Born in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, he spent his entire career at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
except for a brief period (1954–1956) as research assistant at Yerkes Observatory
Yerkes Observatory
Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Chicago in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The observatory, which calls itself "the birthplace of modern astrophysics," was founded in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and financed by Charles T. Yerkes...
. He received his undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
in 1940, but World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
interrupted his studies and he did not get his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
until 1961 (on the surface photometry of extragalactic nebulae).
He married fellow astronomer Ingrid Groeneveld (who became Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld
Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld
Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld is a Dutch astronomer.In a jointly-credited trio with Tom Gehrels and her husband Cornelis Johannes van Houten, she was an extremely prolific discoverer of many thousands of asteroids...
) and together they became interested in 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...
s. They had one son, Karel.
In a jointly-credited trio with Tom Gehrels
Tom Gehrels
Tom Gehrels , was an American astronomer, Professor Planetary Sciences, and Astronomer at the University of Arizona, Tucson....
and Ingrid, and occasionally including fellow astronomers Lewis Daly and Bernhard Schmidt
Bernhard Schmidt
Bernhard Woldemar Schmidt was a German optician. In 1930 he invented the Schmidt telescope which corrected for the optical errors of spherical aberration, coma, and astigmatism, making possible for the first time the construction of very large, wide-angled reflective cameras of short exposure time...
, he was an extremely prolific discoverer of many thousands of asteroids. Gehrels did a sky survey using the 48-inch Schmidt telescope
Schmidt camera
A Schmidt camera, also referred to as the Schmidt telescope, is a catadioptric astrophotographic telescope designed to provide wide fields of view with limited aberrations. Other similar designs are the Wright Camera and Lurie-Houghton telescope....
at Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory is a privately owned observatory located in San Diego County, California, southeast of Pasadena's Mount Wilson Observatory, in the Palomar Mountain Range. At approximately elevation, it is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology...
and shipped the plates to the van Houtens at Leiden Observatory
Leiden Observatory
Leiden Observatory is an astronomical observatory in the city of Leiden, Netherlands. It was established by Leiden University in 1633, to house the quadrant of Snellius, and is the oldest operating University observatory in the world Leiden Observatory (Sterrewacht Leiden in Dutch) is an...
, who analyzed them for new asteroids. The trio are jointly credited with several thousand discoveries.
From the statistical properties uncovered it became clear that asteroids fall into certain "families".
He also studied the radial velocities
Radial velocity
Radial velocity is the velocity of an object in the direction of the line of sight . In astronomy, radial velocity most commonly refers to the spectroscopic radial velocity...
of close binary star
Binary star
A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes, or secondary...
s. He never retired, but remained active and published articles until his death, on asteroids and eclipsing binaries.