Auguste Charlois

Minor planets discovered: 99 [1]
see § List of discovered minor planets
Auguste Charlois
Birthplace,
3 Avenue Marx Dormoy,
La Cadière-d'Azur[2][3]
Born(1864-11-26)November 26, 1864
La Cadière-d'Azur
DiedMarch 26, 1910(1910-03-26) (aged 45)
NationalityFrench
OccupationAstronomer
AwardsPrix Jules Janssen
Valz Prize

Auguste Honoré Charlois (French pronunciation: [oɡyst ɔnɔʁe ʃaʁlwa]; November 26, 1864 – March 26, 1910) was a French astronomer who discovered 99 asteroids while working at the Nice Observatory in southeastern France.[1][4][5]

Asteroid Discovery

His first discovery was the asteroid 267 Tirza in 1887.[6] He photographed 433 Eros on the very night of its discovery by Gustav Witt, but was not able to act quickly enough before Witt announced his find.[7]

Although he started searching for asteroids in the era of visual detection, by 1891 Max Wolf had pioneered the use of astrophotography to drastically speed up the rate of detection of asteroids, and both Wolf and Charlois separately discovered far more asteroids than would have been feasible by visual detection.[4] In 1899, Charlois received the Prix Jules Janssen, the highest award of the Société astronomique de France, the French astronomical society, and was also awarded the Valz Prize by the French Academy of Sciences in 1889 for his work on calculating asteroid orbits.[8]

Murder

At the age of 45, he was murdered by Gabriel Brengues, the brother of his first wife, Jeanne Charlois and husband to the sister (Therese) of his second wife, Marie Brengues, over an inheritance by the death of Jeanne (née Brengues). The man was found guilty and given a life sentence of hard labor in New Caledonia.[9]

Memorial

The asteroid 1510 Charlois, discovered by André Patry at Nice Observatory in 1939, was named in his honour.[4]

List of discovered minor planets

267 Tirza May 27, 1887
272 Antonia February 4, 1888
277 Elvira May 3, 1888
282 Clorinde January 28, 1889
283 Emma February 8, 1889
284 Amalia May 29, 1889
285 Regina August 3, 1889
289 Nenetta March 10, 1890
293 Brasilia May 20, 1890
294 Felicia July 15, 1890
296 Phaëtusa August 19, 1890
297 Caecilia September 9, 1890
298 Baptistina September 9, 1890
300 Geraldina October 3, 1890
302 Clarissa November 14, 1890
305 Gordonia February 16, 1891
307 Nike March 5, 1891
310 Margarita May 16, 1891
311 Claudia June 11, 1891
312 Pierretta August 28, 1891
314 Rosalia September 1, 1891
316 Goberta September 8, 1891
317 Roxane September 11, 1891
318 Magdalena September 24, 1891
319 Leona October 8, 1891
327 Columbia March 22, 1892
331 Etheridgea April 1, 1892
336 Lacadiera September 19, 1892
337 Devosa September 22, 1892
338 Budrosa September 25, 1892
344 Desiderata November 15, 1892
345 Tercidina November 23, 1892
346 Hermentaria November 25, 1892
347 Pariana November 28, 1892
348 May November 28, 1892
349 Dembowska December 9, 1892
350 Ornamenta December 14, 1892
354 Eleonora January 17, 1893
355 Gabriella January 20, 1893
356 Liguria January 21, 1893
357 Ninina February 11, 1893
358 Apollonia March 8, 1893
359 Georgia March 10, 1893
360 Carlova March 11, 1893
361 Bononia March 11, 1893
362 Havnia March 12, 1893
363 Padua March 17, 1893
364 Isara March 19, 1893
365 Corduba March 21, 1893
366 Vincentina March 21, 1893
367 Amicitia May 19, 1893
368 Haidea May 19, 1893
370 Modestia July 14, 1893
371 Bohemia July 16, 1893
372 Palma August 19, 1893
373 Melusina September 15, 1893
374 Burgundia September 18, 1893
375 Ursula September 18, 1893
376 Geometria September 18, 1893
377 Campania September 20, 1893
378 Holmia December 6, 1893
379 Huenna January 8, 1894
380 Fiducia January 8, 1894
381 Myrrha January 10, 1894
382 Dodona January 29, 1894
383 Janina January 29, 1894
388 Charybdis March 7, 1894
389 Industria March 8, 1894
395 Delia November 30, 1894
396 Aeolia December 1, 1894
397 Vienna December 19, 1894
398 Admete December 28, 1894
400 Ducrosa March 15, 1895
402 Chloë March 21, 1895
403 Cyane May 18, 1895
404 Arsinoë June 20, 1895
405 Thia July 23, 1895
406 Erna August 22, 1895
409 Aspasia December 9, 1895
410 Chloris January 7, 1896
411 Xanthe January 7, 1896
414 Liriope January 16, 1896
416 Vaticana May 4, 1896
423 Diotima December 7, 1896
424 Gratia December 31, 1896
425 Cornelia December 28, 1896
426 Hippo August 25, 1897
427 Galene August 27, 1897
429 Lotis November 23, 1897
430 Hybris December 18, 1897
431 Nephele December 18, 1897
432 Pythia December 18, 1897
437 Rhodia July 16, 1898
438 Zeuxo November 8, 1898
441 Bathilde December 8, 1898
451 Patientia December 4, 1899
453 Tea February 22, 1900
498 Tokio December 2, 1902
537 Pauly July 7, 1904

References

  1. ^ a b "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  2. ^ martan. "Var (83) - Guide National des Maisons Natales". over-blog.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  3. ^ "3 Av. Marx Dormoy · 3 Av. Marx Dormoy, 83740 La Cadière-d'Azur, France". 3 Av. Marx Dormoy · 3 Av. Marx Dormoy, 83740 La Cadière-d'Azur, France.
  4. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1510) Charlois". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1510) Charlois. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 120. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1511. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  5. ^ Godillon, D. (1968). "Initiation élémentaire à l'astronomie : IX. Les astéroïdes". L'Astronomie. 82: 359–363. Bibcode:1968LAstr..82..359G.
  6. ^ "267 Tirza". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  7. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(433) Eros". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (433) Eros. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 50. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_434. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  8. ^ "Charlois, l'astronome assassiné". wordpress.com. 20 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2019.