George Van Biesbroeck
Encyclopedia
George A. Van Biesbroeck (or Georges-Achille Van Biesbroeck, January 21, 1880 – February 23, 1974) was a Belgian-American astronomer
. He worked at observatories in Belgium
, Germany
and the United States
. He specialized in the observation of double stars, asteroids and comets. He is notable for his long career as an observational astronomer.
, Belgium
on January 21, 1880 to a family of artists. At his father's request he pursued, and in 1902, he received, the 1st degree of Civil Engineering Construction and began work as a civil engineer
for the Brussels
Department of Roads and Bridges. But his true vocation is not there, it was astronomy, and while performing his official duties as a civil engineer he joined volunteers at the Uccle Observatory. In 1904 he left civil engineering behind and joined the staff at the Royal Observatory of Belgium
at Uccle
.
He then enrolled at Ghent University
and obtained a degree in theoretical astronomy. He worked at the Heidelberg Observatory
, then at the Potsdam Observatory
under the direction of Max Wolf
, Karl Schwarzschild
and others.
In 1915, as World War I
was raging, he was invited to come to work at Yerkes Observatory
. He and his family made the dangerous trip across wartime Europe and settled permanently in the United States
. He became a U.S citizen in 1922. He then began his work on double star
s, comet
s, asteroid
s, and variable star
s. In 1945 he was forced into retirement at Yerkes at the age of 65. Relieved of administrative duties, he became an even more active observer at Yerkes and at the McDonald Observatory
. He made the frequent automobile trips between the observatories in Wisconsin and Texas without complaint.
He participated in numerous physically grueling astronomical expeditions to remote parts of the world throughout the late 1940s and 1950s. In 1952, at age 72, he traveled to Khartoum
in Sudan
and set up a 20' telescope to confirm Einstein's Theory of Relativity by noting the change in positions of the stars around the Sun
during a total eclipse
that year. His measurements were in agreement with Einstein's predictions. His travels to Sudan
were the subject of a Time Magazine article.
, as well as two non-periodic comets: C/1925 W1 (Van Biesbroeck 1) and C/1935 Q1 (Van Biesbroeck 2).
He also discovered sixteen asteroid
s.
In 1961 he published the Van Biesbroeck's star catalog
. In this he cataloged a number of very faint stars, known by the VB numbers he assigned to them upon discovery. One notable star he discovered was the very small red dwarf
secondary star, VB 10
, also known as Gliese (GJ) 752B, of the primary star, Wolf 1055 (Gliese (GJ) 752A). This star was unique in that its absolute magnitude
of 19 was the lowest of any star then known and still thought to be the lowest possible for any star. VB 10
was given the designation of Van Briesbroeck's Star
to honor him for this work and his work with double stars.
of the University of Arizona
in Tucson Arizona to work under Gerard Kuiper
. There he used his practical skills as a land surveyor
to site the new Catalina Station now under the direction of Steward Observatory
and that now houses the 1.6m Kuiper Telescope. He continued to observe and make contributions to astronomy up to a few months before his death. New scientific papers continued to be published under his name for several years afterward. He died on February 23, 1974 at the age of 94.
, awarded by the American Astronomical Society
, is named in his honor. This award is a lifetime achievement award that is given to astronomers that have contributed a long life to astronomy including those that continued to work and contribute to astronomy after retirement, as Van Biesbroeck himself did for 27 years.
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 worked at observatories in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He specialized in the observation of double stars, asteroids and comets. He is notable for his long career as an observational astronomer.
Life
He was born in GhentGhent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
on January 21, 1880 to a family of artists. At his father's request he pursued, and in 1902, he received, the 1st degree of Civil Engineering Construction and began work as a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
for the Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
Department of Roads and Bridges. But his true vocation is not there, it was astronomy, and while performing his official duties as a civil engineer he joined volunteers at the Uccle Observatory. In 1904 he left civil engineering behind and joined the staff at the Royal Observatory of Belgium
Observatoire Royal de Belgique
The Royal Observatory of Belgium, officially known in French as the Observatoire Royal de Belgique, and in Dutch as the Koninklijke Sterrenwacht van België, is situated at Uccle since 1890, although it was originally founded in 1834...
at Uccle
Uccle
Uccle or Ukkel is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.Uccle is known for its well-to-do areas, its green spots and its high rental rates.-History:...
.
He then enrolled at Ghent University
Ghent University
Ghent University is a Dutch-speaking public university located in Ghent, Belgium. It is one of the larger Flemish universities, consisting of 32,000 students and 7,100 staff members. The current rector is Paul Van Cauwenberge.It was established in 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands...
and obtained a degree in theoretical astronomy. He worked at the Heidelberg Observatory
Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl
The Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory is an historic astronomical observatory located near the summit of the Königstuhl hill in the city of Heidelberg in Germany...
, then at the Potsdam Observatory
Astrophysical Institute Potsdam
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam is a German research institute. It is the successor of the Berlin Observatory founded in 1700 and of the Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam founded in 1874. The latter was the world's first observatory to emphasize explicitly the research area of...
under the direction of Max Wolf
Max Wolf
Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf was a German astronomer and a pioneer in the field of astrophotography...
, Karl Schwarzschild
Karl Schwarzschild
Karl Schwarzschild was a German physicist. He is also the father of astrophysicist Martin Schwarzschild.He is best known for providing the first exact solution to the Einstein field equations of general relativity, for the limited case of a single spherical non-rotating mass, which he accomplished...
and others.
In 1915, as World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was raging, he was invited to come to work 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 and his family made the dangerous trip across wartime Europe and settled permanently in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He became a U.S citizen in 1922. He then began his work on double star
Double star
In observational astronomy, a double star is a pair of stars that appear close to each other in the sky as seen from Earth when viewed through an optical telescope. This can happen either because the pair forms a binary star, i.e...
s, 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...
s, 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, and variable star
Variable star
A star is classified as variable if its apparent magnitude as seen from Earth changes over time, whether the changes are due to variations in the star's actual luminosity, or to variations in the amount of the star's light that is blocked from reaching Earth...
s. In 1945 he was forced into retirement at Yerkes at the age of 65. Relieved of administrative duties, he became an even more active observer at Yerkes and at the McDonald Observatory
McDonald Observatory
The McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas...
. He made the frequent automobile trips between the observatories in Wisconsin and Texas without complaint.
He participated in numerous physically grueling astronomical expeditions to remote parts of the world throughout the late 1940s and 1950s. In 1952, at age 72, he traveled to Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and set up a 20' telescope to confirm Einstein's Theory of Relativity by noting the change in positions of the stars around the Sun
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...
during a total eclipse
Total Eclipse
A total eclipse is an eclipse where either the Sun is entirely covered by the Moon, or the Earth's shadow entirely covers the Moon.Total Eclipse may also refer to:-Music:* Total Eclipse , a Goa trance music group...
that year. His measurements were in agreement with Einstein's predictions. His travels to Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
were the subject of a Time Magazine article.
Discoveries
He discovered the periodic comet 53P/Van Biesbroeck53P/Van Biesbroeck
53P/Van Biesbroeck is a periodic comet in our solar system.This comet and 42P/Neujmin are fragments of a parent comet that split in March 1845.-External links:*...
, as well as two non-periodic comets: C/1925 W1 (Van Biesbroeck 1) and C/1935 Q1 (Van Biesbroeck 2).
He also discovered sixteen 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.
| 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 discovered: 16 |
|
|---|---|
| 990 Yerkes 990 Yerkes 990 Yerkes is a minor planet orbiting the Sun.-External links:*... |
|
| 993 Moultona 993 Moultona 993 Moultona is a minor planet orbiting the Sun.-External links:*... |
|
| 1024 Hale 1024 Hale 1024 Hale is an asteroid. It was discovered by George Van Biesbroeck on December 2, 1923. Its provisional designation was 1923 YO13. It was named after George Ellery Hale.... |
|
| 1027 Aesculapia 1027 Aesculapia 1027 Aesculapia is an asteroid. It was discovered by George Van Biesbroeck on November 11, 1923. Its provisional designation was '. It was named after Asclepius, the Greek demigod of medicine and healing .... |
|
| 1033 Simona 1033 Simona 1033 Simona is an asteroid. It was discovered by George Van Biesbroeck on September 4, 1924. Its provisional designation was 1924 SM. It was named after Simone van Biesbroeck, daughter of the discoverer.... |
|
| 1045 Michela 1045 Michela 1045 Michela is an asteroid. It was discovered by George Van Biesbroeck on November 19, 1924. Its provisional designation was 1924 TR. It was named after the discoverer's daughter, Micheline van Biesbroeck.... |
|
| 1046 Edwin 1046 Edwin 1046 Edwin is an asteroid. It was discovered by George Van Biesbroeck on December 1, 1924. Its provisional designation was 1924 UA. It was named after the discoverer's son, Edwin van Biesbroeck.... |
|
| 1079 Mimosa 1079 Mimosa 1079 Mimosa is a minor planet orbiting the Sun discovered on January 14 in 1927 by George Van Biesbroeck. Initially it received the designation 1927 AD due ti its year of discovery The numerical designation indicates this was the 1079th asteroid discovered. It is named after the Mimosa genus of... |
|
| 1270 Datura 1270 Datura 1270 Datura is a S-type main-belt asteroid discovered on December 17, 1930 by George Van Biesbroeck at Yerkes Observatory. This asteroid is believed to result from the collisional destruction of a larger parent body approximately 450,000 years ago. It is named for the Datura plant genus.-... |
|
| 1312 Vassar 1312 Vassar 1312 Vassar is a main-belt asteroid discovered on July 27, 1933 by G. Van Biesbroeck at Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States.- External links :*... |
|
| 1464 Armisticia 1464 Armisticia 1464 Armisticia is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 11, 1939 by George Van Biesbroeck at Williams Bay.- External links :*... |
|
| 2253 Espinette 2253 Espinette 2253 Espinette is a Mars-crossing asteroid discovered on July 30, 1932 by G. Van Biesbroeck at the Yerkes Observatory.- External links :*... |
|
| 2463 Sterpin 2463 Sterpin 2463 Sterpin is a main-belt asteroid discovered on March 10, 1934 by G. Van Biesbroeck at Williams Bay.- External links :*... |
|
| 3211 Louispharailda 3211 Louispharailda 3211 Louispharailda is a main-belt asteroid discovered on February 10, 1931 by G. Van Biesbroeck at Williams Bay.- External links :*... |
|
| 3378 Susanvictoria 3378 Susanvictoria 3378 Susanvictoria is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 25, 1922 by G. Van Biesbroeck at Williams Bay.- External links :*... |
|
| 3641 Williams Bay 3641 Williams Bay 3641 Williams Bay is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 24, 1922 by G. Van Biesbroeck at Williams Bay.- External links :*... |
In 1961 he published the Van Biesbroeck's star catalog
Van Biesbroeck's star catalog
In 1961 the astronomer George Van Biesbroeck published a catalog of low luminosity stars discovered using the Otto Struve refractor telescope of the McDonald Observatory in Texas. This survey is similar to earlier dim star surveys that were done by Max Wolf and Frank Elmore Ross but using later...
. In this he cataloged a number of very faint stars, known by the VB numbers he assigned to them upon discovery. One notable star he discovered was the very small red dwarf
Red dwarf
According to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a red dwarf star is a small and relatively cool star, of the main sequence, either late K or M spectral type....
secondary star, VB 10
VB 10
VB 10, also referred to as Van Biesbroeck's star, is a very small and very dim M-type red dwarf star located in the constellation Aquila...
, also known as Gliese (GJ) 752B, of the primary star, Wolf 1055 (Gliese (GJ) 752A). This star was unique in that its absolute magnitude
Absolute magnitude
Absolute magnitude is the measure of a celestial object's intrinsic brightness. it is also the apparent magnitude a star would have if it were 32.6 light years away from Earth...
of 19 was the lowest of any star then known and still thought to be the lowest possible for any star. VB 10
VB 10
VB 10, also referred to as Van Biesbroeck's star, is a very small and very dim M-type red dwarf star located in the constellation Aquila...
was given the designation of Van Briesbroeck's Star
Stars named after people
Over the past few centuries, a small number of stars have been named after individual people. It is common in astronomy for objects to be given names, in accordance with accepted astronomical naming conventions...
to honor him for this work and his work with double stars.
Later life and death
In 1963 he came to the Lunar and Planetary LaboratoryLunar and Planetary Laboratory
The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory is a research center for planetary science located in Tucson, Arizona. It is also a graduate school, constituting the Department of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona...
of the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in Tucson Arizona to work under Gerard Kuiper
Gerard Kuiper
Gerard Peter Kuiper , Netherlands – December 24, 1973, Mexico City) was a Dutch-American astronomer after whom the Kuiper belt was named.-Early life:...
. There he used his practical skills as a land surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
to site the new Catalina Station now under the direction of Steward Observatory
Steward Observatory
The University of Arizona's Steward Observatorys main office is located on the University's campus and is closely tied to the Department of Astronomy. Established in 1916 by its first director, Andrew Ellicott Douglass, and a $60,000 bequest made by Lavinia Steward in memory of her late husband...
and that now houses the 1.6m Kuiper Telescope. He continued to observe and make contributions to astronomy up to a few months before his death. New scientific papers continued to be published under his name for several years afterward. He died on February 23, 1974 at the age of 94.
Honors and awards
Throughout his long and productive life he received may honors. This is a partial list.- Gold Medal of the Royal Danish Society of Sciences (1910)
- Donohe Comet Medal of the Astronomical Society of the PacificAstronomical Society of the PacificThe Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...
(1926) - Burr Prize from the National Geographic SocietyNational Geographic SocietyThe National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
(1952) - Price Valzer de l'Académie des Sciences Paris
- James Craig Watson MedalJames Craig Watson Medalthumb|right|400px|James Craig Watson MedalThe James Craig Watson Medal was established by the bequest of James Craig Watson, and is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for contributions to astronomy.The recipients have been:-External links:*...
(1957)
Objects named for Van Biesbroeck
- The asteroid 1781 Van Biesbroeck1781 Van Biesbroeck1781 Van Biesbroeck is a main-belt asteroid discovered on October 17, 1906 by A. Kopff at Heidelberg.- External links :*...
. - The crater Van BiesbroeckVan Biesbroeck (crater)Van Biesbroeck is a small lunar impact crater that interrupts the southern rim of the lava-flooded crater Krieger, in the Oceanus Procellarum. The crater is circular and symmetrical, with sloping inner walls that run down to a small interior floor. Van Biesbroeck was designated Krieger B before the...
on the MoonMoonThe 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... - The mountain Mount Van Biesbroeck near the McDonald ObservatoryMcDonald ObservatoryThe McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas...
- The star Van Briesboeck's StarStars named after peopleOver the past few centuries, a small number of stars have been named after individual people. It is common in astronomy for objects to be given names, in accordance with accepted astronomical naming conventions...
, VB 10VB 10VB 10, also referred to as Van Biesbroeck's star, is a very small and very dim M-type red dwarf star located in the constellation Aquila...
, from his catalog
The George Van Biesbroeck Prize
The George Van Biesbroeck PrizeGeorge Van Biesbroeck Prize
The George Van Biesbroeck Prize is an award for long-term achievements in the field of astronomy. According to the American Astronomical Society awards website; "The Van Biesbroeck prize is normally awarded every two years and honors a living individual for long-term extraordinary or unselfish...
, awarded by the American Astronomical Society
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
, is named in his honor. This award is a lifetime achievement award that is given to astronomers that have contributed a long life to astronomy including those that continued to work and contribute to astronomy after retirement, as Van Biesbroeck himself did for 27 years.