Leslie Copus Peltier (January 2, 1900 – May 10, 1980) was an American amateurastronomer and discoverer of severalcomets andnovae, includingNova Herculis 1963. He was once described as "the world's greatest non-professional astronomer" byHarlow Shapley.[1][2]
Leslie Copus Peltier was born inDelphos, Ohio. Delphos is located in northwestern Ohio in both Van Wert and Allen County. His homeplace was located on South Bredeick Street, and his home is still standing today. The home was known as Brookhaven. Peltier married Dorothy Nihiser in November 1933. Anamateur astronomer, he was a prolific discoverer ofcomets and also a persistent observer ofvariable stars and member of theAAVSO. He wasco-discoverer of 12 comets, 10 of which carry his name, and over a span of more than 60 years made more than 132,000 variable star observations.[3]
He wrote the autobiographicalStarlight Nights (ISBN0-933346-94-8), which evokes the magic of stargazing in simpler days, on a farm and withoutlight pollution.
Starlight Nights: The Adventures of a Star-Gazer (1965);[4] also published in Japanese asHoshi No Kuru Yoru (1985)[5]
Guideposts to the Stars: Exploring the Skies Throughout the Year (1972);[6] also published in Dutch asSpectrum Sterrengids (1976)[7] and asPrisma Sterrengids (1979)[8]
^Peltier, L. (1976).Spectrum Sterrengids (in Dutch). Translated by Beekman, G. W. E. Utrecht, Netherlands: Het Spectrum.ISBN9789027458650.OCLC63411105.
^Peltier, L. (1979).Prisma Sterrengids (in Dutch). Translated by Beekman, G. W. E. (2nd ed.). Utrecht, Netherlands: Het Spectrum.ISBN9789027458650.OCLC63411105.
^Peltier, Leslie C. (1977).The Place on Jennings Creek. Chicago, Illinois: Adams Press.OCLC27656592.
^Peltier, Leslie C. (1995).The Binocular Stargazer: A Beginner's Guide to Exploring the Sky. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publications.ISBN9780913135259.OCLC32850762.
