James Ferguson | |
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.jpg) James Ferguson | |
| Born | (1797-08-31)August 31, 1797 |
| Died | September 26, 1867(1867-09-26) (aged 70) Washington, D.C., USA |
| Awards | Lalande Prize(1854, 1860) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | astronomy |
James Ferguson (August 31, 1797 – September 26, 1867) was a Scottish-born Americanastronomer andengineer, who made the first discovery of an asteroid fromNorth America (31 Euphrosyne).[1]
James Ferguson was born in Scotland on August 31, 1797, and his family moved to the United states in 1800.[2]
Between the ages of 17 and 19, as an assistant engineer, he helped to build theErie Canal. Afterwards he was appointed as an astronomical surveyor, surveying the U.S. Northwest border as part of theTreaty of Ghent[2]
Starting in 1847, he worked at theU.S. Naval Observatory inWashington, DC.[2] He worked on the 9.6 inch refractor telescope.[3]
Ferguson was confirmed at the Church of the Epiphany in 1863.[3]
Ferguson was considered a brightcomputer and had written 84 papers as well as contributions to scientific magazines.[2]
| 31 Euphrosyne | September 1, 1854 |
| 50 Virginia | October 4, 1857 |
| 60 Echo | September 14, 1860 |
Throughout the years, Ferguson discovered threeminor planets. The first,31 Euphrosyne, is the first numbered minor planet to be discovered from North America.[5]
In 1850, he discovered50 Virginia. The asteroid was also independently discovered byRobert Luther, who reported it first, but is now credited to Ferguson.[6]
In 1850, he "lost" a star that he had been observing, which Lt. Matthew Maury, the superintendent of the Observatory, claimed was evidence for a9th planet (Pluto had not yet been discovered). In 1878, however,CHF Peters, director of theHamilton College Observatory in New York, showed that the star had not in fact vanished, and that the previous results had been due to human error.[7]
The asteroid1745 Ferguson, discovered from the same observatory, was later named in his honour.[1]
He was awarded theLalande Prize twice, in 1854 and in 1860.
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