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Frank K. Edmondson | |
|---|---|
 Edmondson in 1962 | |
| Born | Frank Kelley Edmondson (1912-08-01)August 1, 1912 |
| Died | December 8, 2008(2008-12-08) (aged 96) |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Indiana Asteroid Program |
| Spouse | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy,physics |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | The Absorption of Light in the Galaxy (1937) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bart Bok |
Frank Kelley Edmondson (August 1, 1912 – December 8, 2008) was an Americanastronomer.
Edmondson was born inMilwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up inSeymour, Indiana. He graduated fromIndiana University in 1933 and received a fellowship to work atLowell Observatory inFlagstaff, Arizona, where he stayed until 1935, working as an observing assistant toClyde Tombaugh, discoverer of thedwarf planetPluto. After earning his Ph.D. under the direction ofBart Bok atHarvard University in 1937, Edmondson returned to Indiana University as a faculty member in the department of astronomy. In 1944, he became the department's chair, a position he held until 1978.
An early accomplishment of Edmondson's was the creation of theIndiana Asteroid Program, a photographic program to locateasteroids that were "lost" when systematic observations were interrupted byWorld War II. He also negotiated the donation of the privately ownedGoethe Link Observatory nearBrooklyn, Indiana to Indiana University. Nearly 7000photographic plates for asteroid orbit studies were taken with a 10-inchastrographic camera at theGoethe Link Observatory. These plates are now archived at Lowell Observatory.
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In addition to pursuing studies instellarkinematics,galactic structure, asteroidastrometry and the history of astronomy, Edmondson served as Program Director for Astronomy of theNational Science Foundation (1956–1957), treasurer of theAmerican Astronomical Society (1954–1975) and statistical advisor to Dr.Alfred Kinsey during his studies of human sexuality. He also advised in the development and site selection of theNational Optical Astronomy Observatories, which include theKitt Peak National Observatory inArizona, theCerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory inChile and theNational Solar Observatory inNew Mexico. He was also instrumental in creating theAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), a consortium of 38 U. S. astronomical institutions and seven foreign affiliates, that manages the three observatories plus theSpace Telescope Science Institute which directs research with theHubble Space Telescope. He was AURA's president from 1962 to 1965. He was a member of the Minor Planet Commission of theInternational Astronomical Union (IAU), and was its president from 1970 to 1973. He chaired the United States National Committee of the IAU from 1963 to 1964.
After his retirement from Indiana University in 1983, Edmondson devoted himself to compiling histories of AURA and the Indiana University astronomy department. The asteroid1761 Edmondson is named for him.
In 1934, Edmondson married Emma Margaret Russell (1914–1999), the youngest daughter of astronomerHenry Norris Russell. Their children are Margaret Edmondson Olson, married to astronomer Edward Olson, and Frank Edmondson, Jr.[1]
Media related toFrank K. Edmondson at Wikimedia Commons
| External images | |
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 http://www.noao.edu/images/edmondson_top.jpg Professor Edmondson at a telescope in his younger years. Inset with Dr. Caty Pilachowski. Source: National Optical Astronomical Observatory News and Reports. | |
| http://newsinfo.iu.edu/pub/libs/images/usr/4719.jpg Professor Frank Edmondson looks on as Esther Barnhart -- wife of Philip Barnhart (M.A. Astronomy 1955) -- takes precise measurements of an asteroid's location. By comparing locations of an asteroid on different plates taken an hour apart, its orbit could be calculated. Source: Indiana University News Bureau. | |
| https://www.aip.org/system/files/styles/esva_gallery/private/esva-images/edmondson_frank_a1.jpg?itok=nobIX01y Frank Edmondson. Source: American Institute of Physics oral history interview, 1977 | |
| https://web.archive.org/web/20060617052853/http://aip.org:80/history/newsletter/fall2000/pic_edmondson_lg.htm Frank Edmondson. Source: American Institute of Physics History Newsletter, Volume XXXII , No. 2, Fall 2000. |
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