Edison Pettit
Encyclopedia
Edison Pettit was an American
astronomer
.
He was born in Peru, Nebraska
. He taught astronomy at Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas
from 1914 to 1918. He married Hannah Steele, who was an assistant at Yerkes Observatory
, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago
in 1920.
Shortly after he became a staff member at Mount Wilson Observatory
. He initially specialized in solar
astronomy and built his own thermocouple
s. He also made visual observations of Mars
and Jupiter
. Even after his retirement he continued to make spectrograph
s for various observatories in the machine shop in his home.
Pettit crater
on the Moon
and another Crater
on Mars are named after him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronomer
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...
.
He was born in Peru, Nebraska
Peru, Nebraska
Peru is a city in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 569 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Peru is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
. He taught astronomy at Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
from 1914 to 1918. He married Hannah Steele, who was an 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...
, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1920.
Shortly after he became a staff member at Mount Wilson Observatory
Mount Wilson Observatory
The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles...
. He initially specialized in solar
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
astronomy and built his own thermocouple
Thermocouple
A thermocouple is a device consisting of two different conductors that produce a voltage proportional to a temperature difference between either end of the pair of conductors. Thermocouples are a widely used type of temperature sensor for measurement and control and can also be used to convert a...
s. He also made visual observations of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and 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,...
. Even after his retirement he continued to make spectrograph
Spectrograph
A spectrograph is an instrument that separates an incoming wave into a frequency spectrum. There are several kinds of machines referred to as spectrographs, depending on the precise nature of the waves...
s for various observatories in the machine shop in his home.
Pettit crater
Pettit (lunar crater)
Pettit is a lunar impact crater that lies near the western limb of the Moon. In this location the crater is viewed nearly from the side by observers on Earth, and visibility can be significantly affected by libration effects....
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
and another Crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
on Mars are named after him.