Jean Chacornac facts for kids
Jean Chacornac (born June 21, 1823 – died September 23, 1873) was a French astronomer. He was famous for finding several asteroids and a comet. He was born in Lyon and passed away in Saint-Jean-en-Royans, France.
Jean Chacornac: A Star Discoverer
Jean Chacornac worked as an astronomer in cities like Marseille and Paris. During his career, he made many important discoveries in space. He found six asteroids in the asteroid belt. The asteroid belt is a region between Mars and Jupiter where many space rocks orbit the Sun.
| 25 Phocaea | 6 April 1853 | MPC |
| 33 Polyhymnia | 28 October 1854 | MPC |
| 34 Circe | 6 April 1855 | MPC |
| 38 Leda | 12 January 1856 | MPC |
| 39 Laetitia | 8 February 1856 | MPC |
| 59 Elpis | 12 September 1860 | MPC |
His Amazing Discoveries
Chacornac discovered a comet in 1852, which was named C/1852 K1 (Chacornac). This comet is thought to be the source of the Eta Eridanids meteor shower. A meteor shower happens when Earth passes through debris left by a comet.
He also independently found another asteroid called 20 Massalia. However, the discovery of this asteroid is officially credited to an Italian astronomer named Annibale de Gasparis.
Honored in Space
Jean Chacornac was recognized for his important work. He received the Lalande Prize three times. This was a special award given by the French Academy of Sciences for advances in astronomy. He won it in 1855, 1856, and 1863.
To honor his contributions, an asteroid was named after him: 1622 Chacornac. Also, a crater on the Moon is named Chacornac in his memory.
See also
In Spanish: Jean Chacornac para niños
