George Alcock | |
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| Born | George Eric Deacon Alcock (1912-08-28)28 August 1912 Peterborough,Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | 15 December 2000(2000-12-15) (aged 88) |
| Known for | Discovery of comets and novae |
George Eric Deacon Alcock,MBE (28 August 1912, inPeterborough,Northamptonshire[1] – 15 December 2000) was anEnglishamateur astronomer. He was one of the most successful visual discoverers ofnovae andcomets.
George’s interest in astronomy was sparked by his first encounter with thesolar eclipse of8 April 1921.[2] His interest evolved into the observation ofmeteors andmeteor showers, resulting to him joining theBritish Astronomical Association on 27 March 1935.[3] In 1953, he started his search forcomets and in 1955 fornovae. His technique involved memorization of the patterns of thousands of stars, so that he would visually recognize any intruder.
In 1959, he discovered cometC/1959 Q1 — the first comet discovered in Britain since 1894. After five days, he discovered another, namedC/1959 Q2. He discovered two more comets in 1963 (C/1963 F1) and 1965 (C/1965 S2). His first Nova was Delphini 1967 (HR Delphini), which turned out to have an unusuallight-curve. He discovered two more novae,LV Vul (in 1968) and V368 Sct (in 1970). He found his fifth and final comet in 1983: C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock). In 1991 he found the novaV838 Her.
Alcock became a Fellow of 3 British societies in 1947—the Royal Astronomical Society, the Royal Geographical Society, and the Royal Meteorological Society. He won theJackson-Gwilt Medal of theRoyal Astronomical Society in 1963. On 7 February 1979,Queen Elizabeth II conferred on him anMBE. In 1981, he received the InternationalAmateur Achievement Award from theAstronomical Society of the Pacific.[2]
Anasteroid,3174 Alcock is named after him.[citation needed]
He also maintained an active interest inmeteorology (the study of weather, unrelated to his interest in meteors).[citation needed]
In 1996, Genesis Publications published a limited edition signed biography, authored by Kay Williams, entitled "Under An English Heaven - The Life of George Alcock".
After his death, a plaque was placed inPeterborough Cathedral in his memory.[4]
In 1936, Alcock met Mary Green through their shared interest in astronomy. They were married on 7 June 1941, and moved to the village ofFarcet from 1955, in a house they calledAntares, where Alcock discovered five comets and five nova.[5] Mary died on 25 October 1991.[2]
| Preceded by | Amateur Achievement Award of Astronomical Society of the Pacific 1981 | Succeeded by |
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