Leslie Peltier
Encyclopedia
Leslie Copus Peltier was an American
astronomer
.
He was born in Delphos, Ohio
. An amateur astronomer
, he was a prolific discoverer of comet
s and also a persistent observer of variable star
s and member of the AAVSO. Harlow Shapley
once described him as "the world's greatest non-professional astronomer".
He wrote the heart-warming autobiographical Starlight Nights (ISBN 0-933346-94-8), which evokes the magic of stargazing in simpler days, on a farm and without light pollution
.
Asteroid
3850 Peltier
is named in his honor, as is the Leslie C. Peltier Award
of the Astronomical League
.
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 Delphos, Ohio
Delphos, Ohio
Delphos is a city in Allen and Van Wert Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It had a population of 6,944 at the 2000 census.The Allen County portion of Delphos is part of the Lima Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Van Wert County portion is part of the Van Wert Micropolitan Statistical...
. An amateur astronomer
Amateur astronomy
Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...
, he was a prolific discoverer of 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 and also a persistent observer of 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 and member of the AAVSO. Harlow Shapley
Harlow Shapley
Harlow Shapley was an American astronomer.-Career:He was born on a farm in Nashville, Missouri, and dropped out of school with only the equivalent of a fifth-grade education...
once described him as "the world's greatest non-professional astronomer".
He wrote the heart-warming autobiographical Starlight Nights (ISBN 0-933346-94-8), which evokes the magic of stargazing in simpler days, on a farm and without light pollution
Light pollution
Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excessive or obtrusive artificial light.The International Dark-Sky Association defines light pollution as:...
.
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...
3850 Peltier
3850 Peltier
3850 Peltier is a Main belt asteroid. It was discovered on October 7, 1986 at Anderson Mesa by Ted Bowell who named it in honor of the American astronomer Leslie Peltier....
is named in his honor, as is the Leslie C. Peltier Award
Leslie C. Peltier Award
The Leslie C. Peltier Award is an annual award given by the Astronomical League to an amateur astronomer who has contributed observations of lasting significance...
of the Astronomical League
Astronomical League
The Astronomical League is an umbrella organization of amateur astronomy societies. Currently their membership consists of over 240 organizations across the United States, along with a number of Members-at-Large, Patrons, and Supporting members....
.