James Edward Keeler | |
|---|---|
 James Edward Keeler | |
| Born | (1857-09-10)September 10, 1857 |
| Died | August 12, 1900(1900-08-12) (aged 42) |
| Known for | Astrophysical Journal Rings of Saturn astrophotography |
| Awards | Henry Draper Medal (1899) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Lick Observatory Allegheny Observatory |
James Edward Keeler (September 10, 1857 – August 12, 1900) was an Americanastronomer. He was an early observer ofgalaxies using photography, as well as the first to show observationally that the rings of Saturn do not rotate as a solid body.
Keeler was born in La Salle Illinois, but grew up and spent the majority of his early life inMayport, Florida near Jacksonville. His mother's father was a formerGovernor of Connecticut,Henry Dutton.
Keeler worked atLick Observatory beginning in 1888 but left after being appointed director of theUniversity of Pittsburgh'sAllegheny Observatory in 1891. He returned to Lick Observatory as its director in 1898 but died not long after in 1900. Keeler suffered from a heart weakness that went undiagnosed until shortly before his death. On the 12th of August, he died from a suddenstroke. His ashes were interred in a crypt at the base of the 31-inch Keeler Memorial telescope at the Allegheny Observatory.[1]
Along withGeorge Hale, Keeler founded and edited theAstrophysical Journal, which remains a major journal of astronomy today.
His parents were William F. and Anna (née Dutton) Keeler.[2] He had married in 1891 and left a widow and two children.
Keeler was the first to observe the gap inSaturn's rings now known as theEncke Gap, using the36-inch refractor atLick Observatory on 7 January 1888. After this feature had been named forJohann Encke, who had observed a much broader variation in the brightness of theA Ring,[3] Keeler's contributions were brought to light.[4] The second major gap in theA Ring, discovered byVoyager, was named theKeeler Gap in his honor.
| 452 Hamiltonia | December 6, 1899 | [6][7] |
| (20958) A900 MA | June 29, 1900 | [8] |
In 1895, his spectroscopic study of the rings of Saturn revealed that different parts of the rings reflect light with differentDoppler shifts, due to their differentrates of orbit around Saturn.[9] This was the first observational confirmation of the theory ofJames Clerk Maxwell that the rings are made up of countless small objects, each orbiting Saturn at its own rate. These observations were made with a spectrograph attached to the 13-inch Fitz-Clark refracting telescope at Allegheny Observatory.
His observations with the LickCrossley telescope helped establish the importance of large optical reflecting telescopes, and expanded astronomers' understanding of nebulae. After his untimely death, his colleagues at Lick Observatory arranged for the publication of his photographs of nebulae and clusters in a special volume of the Lick Observatory publications.[10]
Keeler discovered twominor planets, theKoronis asteroid452 Hamiltonia in 1899, and theMars-crosser asteroid(20958) A900 MA in 1900, which became alost minor planet until its recovery 99 years later.[8]
After the discovery ofpulsars in 1967, optical images of theCrab Nebula taken by Keeler in 1899 were used to determine the proper motion of theCrab Pulsar.[11]
Keeler was awarded theHenry Draper Medal from theNational Academy of Sciences in 1899.[12] In 1900 he was elected president of theAstronomical Society of the Pacific.
In 1880, Allegheny Observatory directorSamuel Pierpont Langley, accompanied by Keeler and others, went on a scientific expedition to the summit ofMount Whitney. The purpose of the expedition was to study how theSun's radiation was selectively absorbed by theEarth's atmosphere, comparing the results at high altitude with those found at lower levels. As a result of the expedition, a 14,240-ft. peak near Mount Whitney was named the "Keeler Needle".
In addition to theKeeler gap in Saturn's rings, the Martian craterKeeler, the lunar craterKeeler, as well as the asteroid2261 Keeler, are named in his honor.[13]
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