Edison Pettit | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1889-09-22)September 22, 1889 Peru, Nebraska, US |
| Died | May 6, 1962(1962-05-06) (aged 72) Tucson, Arizona, US |
| Alma mater | Peru State College University of Chicago |
| Spouse | Hannah Steele Pettit |
| Children | Marjorie Meinel |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Mount Wilson Observatory |
| Thesis | The Forms and Motions of Solar Prominences (1920) |
Edison Pettit (September 22, 1889 – May 6, 1962) was anAmericanastronomer.
He was born inPeru, Nebraska. Pettit received his bachelor's degree from theNebraska State Normal School in Peru.[1] He taught astronomy atWashburn College inTopeka, Kansas from 1914 to 1918. He marriedHannah Steele Pettit, who was an assistant atYerkes Observatory, and received his Ph.D. from theUniversity of Chicago in 1920.
Shortly after he became a staff member atMount Wilson Observatory. He initially specialized insolar astronomy and built his ownthermocouples. He also made visual observations ofMars andJupiter. Even after his retirement he continued to makespectrographs for various observatories in the machine shop in his home. His two daughters,Marjorie Pettit Meinel and Helen Pettit Knaflich were both astronomers.[2]
Pettit crater on theMoon and anotherCrater on Mars are named after him.
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