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Lewis Boss

Summary

Lewis Boss (26 October 1846 – 5 October 1912) was an American astronomer. He served as the director of the Dudley Observatory in Schenectady, New York.

Lewis Boss
Born(1846-10-26)26 October 1846
Providence, Rhode Island
Died5 October 1912(1912-10-05) (aged 65)
Albany, New York
NationalityAmerican
Alma materDartmouth College
Known forcompilation
Hyades star cluster
SpouseHelen M. Hutchinson Boss
ChildrenBenjamin Boss
Parent(s)Samuel P. Boss
Lucinda (Joslin) Boss
AwardsGold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lalande Prize (1911)
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy
InstitutionsDudley Observatory
Signature

Early life edit

Boss was born in Providence, Rhode Island to Samuel P. and Lucinda (née Joslin) Boss,[1] and attended secondary school at the Lapham Institute in North Scituate[2] and the New Hampton Institution in New Hampshire.[3] In 1870, he graduated from Dartmouth College,[4] then went to work as a clerk for the U.S. Government.

Career edit

He served as an assistant astronomer for a government expedition to survey the U.S-Canada–United States border. In 1876 he became the directory of the Dudley Observatory in Schenectady, New York.[5]

Boss is noted for his work in cataloguing the locations and proper motions of stars. He also led an expedition to Chile in 1882 to observe the transit of Venus, and catalogued information concerning cometary orbits.[6] He was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1889.[7] His most significant discovery was the calculation of the convergent point of the Hyades star cluster. He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1905.

He became editor of the Astronomical Journal in 1909, and the following year published Preliminary General Catalogue of 6188 Stars for the Epoch 1900, a compilation of the proper motions of stars. He was elected to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society in 1911.[8][9] Following his death, responsibility for the Astronomical Journal passed to his son, Benjamin Boss.[10] Benjamin continued to edit the journal until 1941 and also expanded his father's star catalogue, publishing the Boss General Catalogue in 1936.[11]

Death and legacy edit

Boss died on October 5. 1912 in Albany, New York.[12][13] The Moon crater Boss is named in his honor.[14]

Family life edit

Boss married Helen M. Hutchinson on December 30, 1871. Their son Benjamin Boss was also a noted astronomer.[15]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Hockey, Thomas (2009). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-387-31022-0. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  2. ^ American Educational Company (1913). The American Educational Review, Volume 34. American Educational Company. p. 114.
  3. ^ Andrew Van Vranken Raymond, Union University: Its History, Influence, Characteristics and... Lewis Publishing Co. (1907), 2.
  4. ^ Hockey, Thomas (2007). Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer. p. 153. ISBN 9780387304007.
  5. ^ American Educational Company (1913). The American Educational Review, Volume 34. American Educational Company. p. 114.
  6. ^ Gregersen, Erik (2009). The Universe: A Historical Survey of Beliefs, Theories, and Laws. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 141. ISBN 9781615300266.
  7. ^ "Lewis Boss". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  8. ^ "Lewis Boss". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  9. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  10. ^ Gregersen, Erik (2009). The Universe: A Historical Survey of Beliefs, Theories, and Laws. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 141. ISBN 9781615300266.
  11. ^ Angelo, Joseph A. (2009). Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy. Infobase Publishing. p. 96. ISBN 9781438110189.
  12. ^ Dartmouth College (1890). General catalogue of Dartmouth college and the associated institutions: including the officers of government and instruction, graduates and all others who have received honorary degrees. Dartmouth College. p. 72.
  13. ^ Boss, Benjamin (1920). Biographical Memoir of Lewis Boss, 1846-1912. National Academy of Sciences. p. 239.
  14. ^ Greeley, Ronald and Batson, Raymond (2001). The Compact NASA Atlas of the Solar System. Cambridge University Press. p. 363. ISBN 9780521806336.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Boss, Benjamin (1920). Biographical Memoir of Lewis Boss, 1846-1912. National Academy of Sciences. p. 239.

Sources edit

  • Much of this article was based on the Dudley Observatory history of Lewis Boss.

External links edit

  • Preliminary General Catalogue of 6188 Stars for the Epoch 1900 Bibcode:1910Sci....32..155C
  • National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
  • Dudley Observatory