Luiz Cruls
Encyclopedia
'Luís Ferdinand Cruls' was a Belgian
astronomer
who did most of his work in Brazil
. He is also known as Louis Cruls.
Cruls was born in Diest
, Belgium, and died in Paris
, France
. He served in the Belgian Army from 1869 to 1872. In 1881, he accepted the position of director of the Observatory of Rio de Janeiro.
In 1878, he published his work on the planet
Mars
. He observed the transit of Venus
in 1882 from Punta Arenas, and was one of the astronomers (along with William Henry Finlay
) credited with the discovery of the Great Comet of 1882
, which went on to become perhaps the brightest comet in recorded history.
A crater
on Mars was named in his honor.
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...
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...
who did most of his work in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. He is also known as Louis Cruls.
Cruls was born in Diest
Diest
Diest is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around 60km from Brussels. The municipality comprises the city of...
, Belgium, and died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
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...
. He served in the Belgian Army from 1869 to 1872. In 1881, he accepted the position of director of the Observatory of Rio de Janeiro.
In 1878, he published his work on the planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
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...
. He observed the transit 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...
in 1882 from Punta Arenas, and was one of the astronomers (along with William Henry Finlay
William Henry Finlay
William Henry Finlay was a South African astronomer. He was First Assistant at the Cape Observatory from 1873 to 1898. He discovered the periodic comet 15P/Finlay...
) credited with the discovery of the Great Comet of 1882
Great Comet of 1882
The Great Comet of 1882 formally designated C/1882 R1, 1882 II, and 1882b, was a comet which became very bright in September 1882...
, which went on to become perhaps the brightest comet in recorded history.
A 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 was named in his honor.