William Stephen Finsen
Encyclopedia
William Stephen Finsen was a South Africa
n astronomer.
He discovered a number of double star
s and took many photographs of Mars
. He developed the Finsen eyepiece interferometer to measure very close double stars. He was the final director of Union Observatory
in South Africa from 1957 until it closed in 1965 (it was renamed Republic Observatory in 1961).
The asteroid
1794 Finsen
is named after him, as is the geological feature Finsen Dorsum on the asteroid 433 Eros
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n astronomer.
He discovered a number of 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 and took many photographs 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...
. He developed the Finsen eyepiece interferometer to measure very close double stars. He was the final director of Union Observatory
Union Observatory
Union Observatory was an astronomical observatory located in the suburb Observatory, Johannesburg, South Africa. It bears IAU code 078.Known as the Transvaal Observatory in its early years, it became the Republic Observatory in 1961...
in South Africa from 1957 until it closed in 1965 (it was renamed Republic Observatory in 1961).
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...
1794 Finsen
1794 Finsen
1794 Finsen is a main-belt asteroid discovered on April 7, 1970 by Bruwer, J. A. at Hartbeespoort.- External links :*...
is named after him, as is the geological feature Finsen Dorsum on the asteroid 433 Eros
433 Eros
433 Eros is a near-Earth asteroid discovered in 1898, and the first asteroid to be orbited by a probe . It is an S-type asteroid approximately 34.4×11.2×11.2 km in size, the second-largest NEA after 1036 Ganymed, and belongs to the Amor group.Eros is a Mars-crosser asteroid, the first known...
.
External links
- Genealogy
- http://www.saao.ac.za/assa/html/his-astr_-_finsen_ws.html