Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin
Encyclopedia
Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin (December 19, 1845 – February 29, 1904) was a French
astronomer
. Some sources give his middle name as Athanase.
In his early career, he and Guillaume Bigourdan
were assistants of Félix Tisserand
at Toulouse Observatory
. Later, he was the directory of the Nice Observatory
in Nice, France from 1884 until his death. He made observations of Mars
and attempted to determine the rotation period of Venus
. He also calculated perturbations in the orbit of 4 Vesta
.
In the literature, he is sometimes referred to as Henri Perrotin and sometimes as Joseph Perrotin (this is indeed one and the same person). His asteroid
discoveries are credited by the Minor Planet Center
to "J. Perrotin".
Perrotin crater on Mars has been named in his honor, as has asteroid 1515 Perrotin
.
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...
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...
. Some sources give his middle name as Athanase.
In his early career, he and Guillaume Bigourdan
Guillaume Bigourdan
Camille Guillaume Bigourdan was a French astronomer.Bigourdan was born at Sistels, Tarn-et-Garonne. In 1877 he was appointed by Félix Tisserand as assistant astronomer at the Toulouse Observatory, and in 1879 followed Tisserand to the Paris Observatory when the latter became director there.He...
were assistants of Félix Tisserand
Félix Tisserand
François Félix Tisserand was a French astronomer.Tisserand was born at Nuits-Saint-Georges, Côte-d'Or. In 1863 he entered the École Normale Supérieure, and on leaving he went for a month as professor at the lycée at Metz. Urbain Le Verrier offered him a post in the Paris Observatory, which he...
at Toulouse Observatory
Toulouse Observatory
The Observatoire de Toulouse is located in Toulouse, France and was established in 1733. It was founded by l'Académie des Sciences, Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres de Toulouse . It was moved 1841 and again in 1981...
. Later, he was the directory of the Nice Observatory
Nice Observatory
The Observatoire de Nice is an astronomical observatory located in Nice, France on the summit of Mont Gros. The observatory was initiated in 1879 by the banker Raphaël Bischoffsheim...
in Nice, France from 1884 until his death. He made 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 attempted to determine the rotation period of Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
. He also calculated perturbations in the orbit of 4 Vesta
4 Vesta
Vesta, formally designated 4 Vesta, is one of the largest asteroids, with a mean diameter of about . It was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 29, 1807, and is named after the Roman virgin goddess of home and hearth, Vesta....
.
In the literature, he is sometimes referred to as Henri Perrotin and sometimes as Joseph Perrotin (this is indeed one and the same person). His 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...
discoveries are credited by the Minor Planet Center
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , which is part of the Center for Astrophysics along with the Harvard College Observatory ....
to "J. Perrotin".
Perrotin crater on Mars has been named in his honor, as has asteroid 1515 Perrotin
1515 Perrotin
1515 Perrotin is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 15, 1936 by A. Patry at Nice.- External links :*...
.
| 138 Tolosa 138 Tolosa 138 Tolosa is a brightly coloured, stony main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by Henri Joseph Perrotin on May 19, 1874, and named after the Latin for Toulouse, France.... |
May 19, 1874 |
| 149 Medusa 149 Medusa 149 Medusa is a bright-coloured, stony main-belt asteroid.It was discovered by J. Perrotin on September 21, 1875 and named after the Gorgon Medusa, a snake-haired monster in Greek mythology.... |
September 21, 1875 |
| 163 Erigone 163 Erigone 163 Erigone is a dark-coloured, fairly big Main belt asteroid, the namesake of the Erigone family of asteroids. It was discovered by J. Perrotin on April 26, 1876 and named after one of the two Erigones in Greek mythology.... |
April 26, 1876 |
| 170 Maria 170 Maria 170 Maria is a Main belt asteroid. It is an S-type asteroid.It is the namesake of the Maria asteroid family.It was discovered by J. Perrotin on January 10, 1877. Its orbit was computed by Antonio Abetti, and the asteroid was named after his sister, Maria.... |
January 10, 1877 |
| 180 Garumna 180 Garumna 180 Garumna is a Main belt asteroid.It was discovered by J. Perrotin on January 29, 1878. Its name comes from the ancient Latin name for the Garonne River in France.... |
January 29, 1878 |
| 252 Clementina 252 Clementina 252 Clementina is a main belt asteroid.It was discovered by J. Perrotin on October 11, 1885 in Nice.Source of the name is not known, but is believed to be the name of Perrotin's first cat.- References :... |
October 11, 1885 |
Obituaries
- Obs 27 (1904) 176 The Observatory, Vol. 27, p. 175-182 (1904)