Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin facts for kids
Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin (born December 19, 1845 – died February 29, 1904) was a French astronomer. An astronomer is a scientist who studies stars, planets, and everything else in space. He was also known for discovering several minor planets, which are small objects orbiting the Sun, like asteroids. Sometimes, his middle name is spelled Athanase.
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Who Was Henri Perrotin?
Henri Perrotin was a very important person in the world of astronomy during his time. He spent his life looking at the sky and learning about the planets and other objects in our solar system. He was known for his careful observations and calculations.
Early Life and Career
In his early career, Henri Perrotin worked as an assistant. He helped other famous astronomers like Félix Tisserand at the Toulouse Observatory. An observatory is a special building with powerful telescopes used to study space.
Later, in 1884, he became the first director of the Nice Observatory. This observatory is located in Nice, France. He led this important astronomical center until he passed away.
Discoveries and Research
Perrotin made many interesting observations during his career. He spent a lot of time studying the planet Mars. He also tried to figure out how long it takes for the planet Venus to spin around once, which is called its rotation period.
He was also very good at math. He calculated how the gravity of other planets affected the path of the asteroid 4 Vesta. This is called studying "perturbations" in an orbit. It helps scientists understand how planets and asteroids move through space.
One of his biggest achievements was discovering six minor planets. These are small rocky bodies that orbit the Sun, mostly between Mars and Jupiter. The Minor Planet Center, which keeps track of all these discoveries, credits them to "J. Perrotin."
The minor planets he discovered include:
- 138 Tolosa (discovered May 19, 1874)
- 149 Medusa (discovered September 21, 1875)
- 163 Erigone (discovered April 26, 1876)
- 170 Maria (discovered January 10, 1877)
- 180 Garumna (discovered January 29, 1878)
- 252 Clementina (discovered October 11, 1885)
His Legacy
Henri Perrotin is sometimes called "Henri Perrotin" and sometimes "Joseph Perrotin." It's important to remember that both names refer to the same person!
He even appeared in a famous book! The author H. G. Wells mentioned him in his science fiction novel The War of the Worlds. In the book, he is called "Perrotin of Nice."
Perrotin won the Lalande Prize twice, in 1875 and 1883. This was a very important award given by the French Academy of Sciences for achievements in astronomy.
To honor his contributions, a crater on the planet Mars was named Perrotin after him. Also, a main-belt asteroid, 1515 Perrotin, was named in his honor. This shows how much his work was valued by the scientific community.
Images for kids
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The Martian crater named Perrotin.
