Frank Washington Very | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1852-02-12)February 12, 1852 |
| Died | November 23, 1927(1927-11-23) (aged 75) |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Spouse | Portia Mary Vickers |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy,Astrophysics,Meteorology |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Pittsburgh Brown University Westwood Astrophysical Observatory |
| Patrons | Percival Lowell |
Frank Washington Very (February 12, 1852 – November 23, 1927)[1] was aU.S.astronomer, astrophysicist, and meteorologist.[2] He was born inSalem,Massachusetts, and educated atMassachusetts Institute of Technology (1873) where he taught physics after his graduation.[2]
After several years at MIT, Very was employed at theAllegheny Observatory at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, where he worked from 1878–1895.[3] In 1890, he became aprofessor and chair of astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh (then known as the Western University of Pennsylvania), concurrent with his post at Allegheny Observatory.[2] He was then made professor and acting director of theLadd Observatory atBrown University from 1896–1897.[4] After his time at Brown, he worked as an independent researcher for nearly a decade until 1906,[4] when he was appointed director of the Westwood Astrophysical Observatory inWestwood, Massachusetts.[1]
Very's most important work was in measuring thetemperatures of the surfaces of theMoon and otherplanets using abolometer.Samuel Pierpont Langley published in 1890 a widely read paper that included Very's Moon observations, but for unknown reasons omitted his name from the list of contributors. In 1891, Very published his own paper, "Distribution of the Moon's Heat," which also included measurements taken during alunar eclipse.
Infrared observations by Langley and Very, published in 1890, were used to make the first calculations of thegreenhouse effect.[5]
Very crater on Mars[6] andVery crater on the Moon[7] are named in his honor.
He also addressed the American Astronomical Society at Harvard College Observatory on August 20, 1918, with a paper titled: The Luminiferous Aether 1. Its Relation to The Electron and to A Universal Interstellar Medium 2. Its Relation to The Atom. He seemed to be inspired by Emanuel Swedenborg, a 1700's mystic.
His publication in 1890 of infrared observations at the Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh together with Frank Washington Very was used by Svante Arrhenius to make the first calculations on the greenhouse effect.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Colby, F.; Williams, T., eds. (1928)."Very, Frank Washington".New International Encyclopedia. Vol. XXIII (Second ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. p. 118.
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