James Craig Watson
Encyclopedia
| 79 Eurynome 79 Eurynome 79 Eurynome is a quite large and bright main-belt asteroid composed of silicate rock. Eurynome was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 14, 1863. It was his first asteroid discovery. It is named after one of the many Eurynomes in Greek mythology.... |
September 14, 1863 |
| 93 Minerva 93 Minerva 93 Minerva is a large trinary main-belt asteroid. It is a C-type asteroid, meaning that it has a dark surface and possibly a primitive carbonaceous composition. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on August 24, 1867, and named after Minerva, the Roman equivalent of Athena, goddess of wisdom... |
August 24, 1867 |
| 94 Aurora 94 Aurora 94 Aurora is one of the largest main-belt asteroids. With an albedo of only 0.04, it is darker than soot, and has a primitive compositions consisting of carbonaecous material. It was discovered by J. C... |
September 6, 1867 |
| 100 Hekate 100 Hekate 100 Hekate is a large main-belt asteroid. It orbits in the same region of space as the Hygiea asteroid family, though it is actually an unrelated interloper. Its albedo of 0.19 is too high, and it is of the wrong spectral class to be part of the dark carbonaceous Hygiea family.Hekate was the... |
July 11, 1868 |
| 101 Helena 101 Helena 101 Helena is a fairly small, rocky main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on August 15, 1868. It is named after Helen of Troy in Greek mythology.... |
August 15, 1868 |
| 103 Hera 103 Hera 103 Hera is a moderately large main-belt asteroid. It has a silicate surface composition. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 7, 1868, and named after Hera, queen and fifth in power of the Olympian gods in Greek mythology.-References:... |
September 7, 1868 |
| 104 Klymene 104 Klymene 104 Klymene is a large, dark Themistian asteroid. It probably has a carbonaceous composition. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 13, 1868, and named after one of the many Clymenes in Greek mythology.-References:... |
September 13, 1868 |
| 105 Artemis 105 Artemis 105 Artemis is a fairly large main-belt asteroid. It is a C-type asteroid, meaning that it is very dark and composed of carbonaceous material. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 16, 1868, and named after Artemis, The goddess of the hunt, moon, and crossways in Greek Mythology. Several... |
September 16, 1868 |
| 106 Dione 106 Dione 106 Dione is a large main-belt asteroid. It probably has a composition similar to 1 Ceres. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on October 10, 1868, and named after Dione, a Titaness in Greek mythology who was sometimes said to have been the mother of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty.... |
October 10, 1868 |
| 115 Thyra 115 Thyra 115 Thyra is a fairly large and bright inner main-belt asteroid. Named for Thyra, the consort of King Gorm the Old of Denmark. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on August 6, 1871.- References :... |
August 6, 1871 |
| 119 Althaea 119 Althaea 119 Althaea is a sizable main-belt asteroid. It is an S-type asteroid. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on April 3, 1872, and named after Althaea, the mother of Meleager in Greek mythology. Two occultations by Althaea were observed in 2002, only a month apart.... |
April 3, 1872 |
| 121 Hermione 121 Hermione 121 Hermione is a very large asteroid of the dark C spectral type, orbiting in the Cybele group in the far outer asteroid belt. As a C-type, it is probably composed of carbonaceous materials. It was discovered in 1872, and it also has small asteroid moon discovered in 2002.-Discovery:Hermione was... |
May 12, 1872 |
| 128 Nemesis 128 Nemesis 128 Nemesis is a very large and very dark main-belt asteroid, of carbonaceous composition. It rotates rather slowly, taking about one and half Earth days to complete one revolution. Nemesis is the largest member of the Nemesian asteroid family bearing its name. It was discovered by J. C... |
November 25, 1872 |
| 132 Aethra 132 Aethra Discovered by James Craig Watson in 1873, 132 Aethra is an M-type main-belt asteroid. It has a rather eccentric orbit that sometimes brings it closer to the Sun than the planet Mars. It was the first such Mars-crosser asteroid to be identified... |
June 13, 1873 |
| 133 Cyrene 133 Cyrene 133 Cyrene is a fairly large and very bright main-belt asteroid. It is an S-type.It was discovered by J. C. Watson on August 16, 1873, and named after Cyrene, a nymph, daughter of king Hypseus and beloved of Apollo in Greek mythology.... |
August 16, 1873 |
| 139 Juewa 139 Juewa 139 Juewa is a very large and dark main belt asteroid. It is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous material. It was the first asteroid discovered from China.-Discovery and name:... |
October 10, 1874 |
| 150 Nuwa 150 Nuwa 150 Nuwa is a large main-belt asteroid. It is composed of primitive carbonaceous chondritic material. The surface is exceedingly dark.It was discovered by J. C... |
October 18, 1875 |
| 161 Athor 161 Athor 161 Athor is an M-type Main belt asteroid that was discovered by James Craig Watson on April 19, 1876 at the Detroit Observatory and named after Hathor, an Egyptian fertility goddess. An occultation by Athor was observed, on October 15, 2002 resulting in an estimated diameter of .- References :... |
April 19, 1876 |
| 168 Sibylla 168 Sibylla 168 Sibylla is a large main-belt asteroid. It is very dark and composed of primitive carbonaceous materials.It is a Cybele asteroid, orbiting beyond most of the main-belt asteroids.It was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 28, 1876.... |
September 28, 1876 |
| 174 Phaedra 174 Phaedra 174 Phaedra is a sizable, rocky main belt asteroid.It was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 2, 1877 and named after Phaedra, the tragic lovelorn queen in Greek mythology.... |
September 2, 1877 |
| 175 Andromache 175 Andromache 175 Andromache is a large main-belt asteroid.It was discovered by J. C. Watson on October 1, 1877, and named after Andromache, wife of Hector during the Trojan War.... |
October 1, 1877 |
| 179 Klytaemnestra 179 Klytaemnestra 179 Klytaemnestra is a fairly large Main belt asteroid. It is an S-type asteroid.It was discovered by J. C. Watson on November 11, 1877. It was the last of his 22 asteroid discoveries. It is named after Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon in Greek mythology.... |
November 11, 1877 |
James Craig Watson (January 28, 1838–November 22, 1880) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-American
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...
born in the village of Fingal
Fingal, Ontario
Fingal is a community near the north shore of Lake Erie 25 km west of St. Thomas Ontario, located within the township of Southwold in Elgin County. RCAF Station Fingal was a major centre for air force training at a large base during WW2, also Fingal has a variety store, a tire shop....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Canada. His family relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
in 1850.
At age 15 he was matriculated
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, where he studied the classical languages. He later was lectured in astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
by professor Franz Brünnow
Franz Brünnow
Franz Friedrich Ernst Brünnow was a German astronomer.He was born in Berlin, and attended the Friedrich-Wilhelm gymnasium. In 1839 he entered the University of Berlin, where he studied mathematics, astronomy and physics, as well as chemistry, philosophy and philology. After graduating as Ph.D...
.
He was the second director of Detroit Observatory
Detroit Observatory
The Detroit Observatory sits on the corner of Observatory and Ann streets in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was built in 1854, and was the first scientific research facility at the University of Michigan...
(from 1863 to 1879), succeeding Franz Brünnow
Franz Brünnow
Franz Friedrich Ernst Brünnow was a German astronomer.He was born in Berlin, and attended the Friedrich-Wilhelm gymnasium. In 1839 he entered the University of Berlin, where he studied mathematics, astronomy and physics, as well as chemistry, philosophy and philology. After graduating as Ph.D...
. He wrote the textbook Theoretical Astronomy in 1868.
He discovered 22 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, beginning with 79 Eurynome
79 Eurynome
79 Eurynome is a quite large and bright main-belt asteroid composed of silicate rock. Eurynome was discovered by J. C. Watson on September 14, 1863. It was his first asteroid discovery. It is named after one of the many Eurynomes in Greek mythology....
in 1863. One of his asteroid discoveries, 139 Juewa
139 Juewa
139 Juewa is a very large and dark main belt asteroid. It is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous material. It was the first asteroid discovered from China.-Discovery and name:...
was made in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
when Watson was there to observe the 1874 transit of Venus
Transit of Venus
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, becoming visible against the solar disk. During a transit, Venus can be seen from Earth as a small black disk moving across the face of the Sun...
. The name Juewa was chosen by Chinese officials (瑞華, or in modern pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
, ruìhuá). Another was 121 Hermione
121 Hermione
121 Hermione is a very large asteroid of the dark C spectral type, orbiting in the Cybele group in the far outer asteroid belt. As a C-type, it is probably composed of carbonaceous materials. It was discovered in 1872, and it also has small asteroid moon discovered in 2002.-Discovery:Hermione was...
in 1872, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and this asteroid was found to have a small asteroid moon
Asteroid moon
A minor planet moon is an astronomical body that orbits a minor planet as its natural satellite. It is thought that many asteroids and Kuiper belt objects may possess moons, in some cases quite substantial in size...
in 2002.
He was a strong believer in the existence of the planet Vulcan, a hypothetical planet closer to 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...
than Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
, which is now known not to exist (however the existence of small Vulcanoid planetoids remains a possibility). He believed he had seen such two such planets during a July 1878 solar eclipse in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
He died of peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
at the age of only 42. He had amassed a considerable amount of money through non-astronomical business activities. By bequest he established the James Craig Watson Medal
James Craig Watson Medal
thumb|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:*...
, awarded every three years by the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
for contributions to astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
.
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...
729 Watsonia
729 Watsonia
729 Watsonia is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It was named after the Canadian-American astronomer James C. Watson.-External links:*...
is named in his honour, as is the lunar crater Watson
Watson (crater)
Watson is a lunar crater that is located in the low southern latitudes on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the larger crater Lippman and southeast of Fizeau....
.