Lewis Boss

Lewis Boss

Lewis Boss
Born (1846-10-26)26 October 1846
Providence, Rhode Island
Died 5 October 1912(1912-10-05) (aged 65)
Albany, New York
Nationality American
Fields Astronomy
Institutions Dudley Observatory
Alma mater Dartmouth College
Known for compilation
Hyades star cluster
Notable awards Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lalande Prize (1911)
Spouse Helen M. Hutchinson Boss
Children Benjamin Boss

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.

Early life

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

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] 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. Following his death, responsibility for the Astronomical Journal passed to his son, Benjamin Boss.[7] Benjamin continued to edit the journal until 1941 and also expanded his father's star catalogue, publishing the Boss General Catalogue in 1936.[8]

Death and legacy

Boss died on October 5. 1912 in Albany, New York.[9][10] The Moon crater Boss is named in his honor.[11]

Family life

Boss married Helen M. Hutchinson on December 30, 1871. Their son Benjamin Boss was also a noted astronomer.[12]

See also

References

  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. ↑ Gregersen, Erik (2009). The Universe: A Historical Survey of Beliefs, Theories, and Laws. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 141. ISBN 9781615300266.
  8. ↑ Angelo, Joseph A. (2009). Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy. Infobase Publishing. p. 96. ISBN 9781438110189.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Boss, Benjamin (1920). Biographical Memoir of Lewis Boss, 1846-1912. National Academy of Sciences. p. 239.
  11. ↑ Greeley, Ronald and Batson, Raymond (2001). The Compact NASA Atlas of the Solar System. Cambridge University Press. p. 363. ISBN 9780521806336.
  12. ↑ Boss, Benjamin (1920). Biographical Memoir of Lewis Boss, 1846-1912. National Academy of Sciences. p. 239.

Sources

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