Odette Bancilhon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 September 1908 |
| Died | 1998 (aged 89–90) |
| Occupation | Astronomer |
| Known for | Discovered1333 Cevenola asteroid |
| Spouse | Alfred Schmitt |
Odette Bancilhon (22 September 1908 – 1998) was a Frenchastronomer.[1] She is best known for her work during the 1930s and 1940s at theAlgiers Observatory, inAlgeria, North Africa, where she discovered1333 Cevenola, a stony Eunomian asteroid from the main-belt.[2][3]
Bancilhon was a graduate in science and she served as ameteorological assistant in Algiers for one year beginning 1 December 1932.[4] On 7 December 1933, she was appointed asAlfred Schmitt's replacement while he performed his military service. In that capacity, in 1934, she discovered the asteroid (1333) Cevenola.[1][4] (All of her publications at that time were signedO. Bancilhon, a practice of her profession.) She was named an assistant on 1 November 1937.[4]
She married her colleague Alfred Schmitt in Algiers on 12 September 1942, and became known professionally asO. Schmitt-Bancilhon.[1]
She and her husband were transferred to theStrasbourg Observatory in France on 1 January 1950, and she worked there as an assistant for several years.[4] The couple then moved to theQuito Observatory inEcuador from 2 October 1956 to 10 April 1958. She was an assistant there while her husband served as observatory director. She retired on 1 July 1964.[1]
The main-belt asteroid1713 Bancilhon (measuring 5.716 kilometers in diameter) was named in her honor. It was discovered on 27 September 1951 byLouis Boyer, her former colleague at the Algiers Observatory.[4][5]
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