George Van Biesbroeck | |
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| Born | (1880-01-21)January 21, 1880 Ghent, Belgium |
| Died | February 23, 1974(1974-02-23) (aged 94) United States |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Ghent University |
| Known for | Astrophotography Discoverer of minor planets |
| Awards | Valz Prize(1928) James Craig Watson Medal(1957) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Yerkes Observatory McDonald Observatory |
| Doctoral advisor | Karl Schwarzschild |
George A. Van Biesbroeck (orGeorges-Achille Van Biesbroeck,/vænˈbiːzbrʊk/,[1] January 21, 1880 – February 23, 1974) was a Belgian–Americanastronomer. He worked at observatories in Belgium, Germany and the United States. He specialized in the observation ofdouble stars,asteroids andcomets. He is notable for his long career as an observational astronomer.[2]
He was born inGhent, Belgium on January 21, 1880, to a family of artists. At his father's request he pursued, and in 1902, he received, the1st degree of Civil Engineering Construction and began work as acivil engineer for theBrussels Department of Roads and Bridges. But his true vocation is not there, it was astronomy, and while performing his official duties as a civil engineer he joined volunteers at the Uccle Observatory. In 1904 he left civil engineering behind and joined the staff at theRoyal Observatory of Belgium atUccle.[3]
He then enrolled atGhent University and obtained a degree in theoretical astronomy. He worked at theHeidelberg Observatory, then at thePotsdam Observatory under the direction ofMax Wolf,Karl Schwarzschild and others.[3]
In 1915, asWorld War I was raging, he was invited to come to work atYerkes Observatory. He and his family made the dangerous trip across wartime Europe and settled permanently in the United States. He became a U.S citizen in 1922. He then began his work ondouble stars,comets,asteroids, andvariable stars. In 1945 he was forced into retirement at Yerkes at the age of 65. Relieved of administrative duties, he became an even more active observer at Yerkes and at theMcDonald Observatory. He made the frequent automobile trips between the observatories in Wisconsin and Texas without complaint.[4]
He participated in numerous physically grueling astronomical expeditions to remote parts of the world throughout the late 1940s and 1950s. In 1952, at age 72, he traveled toKhartoum inSudan and set up a 20' telescope to confirmEinstein's Theory of Relativity by noting the change in positions of the stars around theSun during atotal eclipse that year. His measurements were in agreement with Einstein's predictions. His travels toSudan were the subject of aTime magazine article.[5]
He discovered the periodic comet53P/Van Biesbroeck, as well as two non-periodic comets: C/1925 W1 (Van Biesbroeck 1) and C/1935 Q1 (Van Biesbroeck 2).
He also discovered sixteenasteroids between 1922 and 1939(see adjunct table),[6] and 43double stars.[7]
| 990 Yerkes | November 23, 1922 | list |
| 993 Moultona | January 12, 1923 | list |
| 1024 Hale | December 2, 1923 | list |
| 1027 Aesculapia | November 11, 1923 | list |
| 1033 Simona | September 4, 1924 | list |
| 1045 Michela | November 19, 1924 | list |
| 1046 Edwin | December 1, 1924 | list |
| 1079 Mimosa | January 14, 1927 | list |
| 1270 Datura | December 17, 1930 | list |
| 1312 Vassar | July 27, 1933 | list |
| 1464 Armisticia | November 11, 1939 | list |
| 2253 Espinette | July 30, 1932 | list |
| 2463 Sterpin | March 10, 1934 | list |
| 3211 Louispharailda | February 10, 1931 | list |
| 3378 Susanvictoria | November 25, 1922 | list |
| 3641 Williams Bay | November 24, 1922 | list |
In 1961 he published theVan Biesbroeck's star catalog. In this he cataloged a number of very faint stars, known by theVB numbers he assigned to them upon discovery.[8] One notable star he discovered was the very smallred dwarf secondary star,VB 10, also known asGliese (GJ) 752B, of the primary star,Wolf 1055 (Gliese (GJ) 752A). This star was unique in that itsabsolute magnitude of 19 was the lowest of any star then known and still thought to be the lowest possible for any star.VB 10 was given the designation ofVan Biesbroeck's Star to honor him for this work and his work withdouble stars.
In 1963 he came to theLunar and Planetary Laboratory of theUniversity of Arizona inTucson Arizona to work underGerard Kuiper. There he used his practical skills as aland surveyor to site the newCatalina Station now under the direction ofSteward Observatory and that now houses the 1.6m Kuiper Telescope.[9] He continued to observe and make contributions to astronomy up to a few months before his death. New scientific papers continued to be published under his name for several years afterward. He died on February 23, 1974, at the age of 94.
Throughout his long and productive life he received many honors. This is a partial list.
TheGeorge Van Biesbroeck Prize, awarded by theAmerican Astronomical Society, is named in his honor. The prize is a lifetime achievement award given to astronomers who have contributed long-term extraordinary or unselfish service to astronomy.
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