Joel Hastings Metcalf (January 4, 1866 – February 23, 1925) was an American astronomer, humanitarian and minister.[1]
Reverend Metcalf graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1892. He served as a Unitarian minister in Burlington, Vermont and in Taunton, Massachusetts, Winchester, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine.
He discovered or co-discovered several comets, including 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf and 97P/Metcalf-Brewington, and also 41 asteroids during 1905–1914, as credited by the Minor Planet Center.[2]
Two of his discoveries, the main-belt asteroids 726 Joëlla and 792 Metcalfia, were named in his honor.[3][4]
Asteroids Discovered
edit| 525 Adelaide | October 21, 1908 |
| 581 Tauntonia | December 24, 1905 |
| 599 Luisa | April 25, 1906 |
| 600 Musa | June 14, 1906 |
| 602 Marianna | February 16, 1906 |
| 603 Timandra | February 16, 1906 |
| 604 Tekmessa | February 16, 1906 |
| 611 Valeria | September 24, 1906 |
| 620 Drakonia | October 26, 1906 |
| 622 Esther | November 13, 1906 |
| 636 Erika | February 8, 1907 |
| 637 Chrysothemis | March 11, 1907 |
| 638 Moira | May 5, 1907 |
| 645 Agrippina | September 13, 1907 |
| 653 Berenike | November 27, 1907 |
| 655 Briseïs | November 4, 1907 |
| 660 Crescentia | January 8, 1908 |
| 661 Cloelia | February 22, 1908 |
| 662 Newtonia | March 30, 1908 |
| 673 Edda | September 20, 1908 |
| 675 Ludmilla | August 30, 1908 |
| 690 Wratislavia | October 16, 1909 |
| 691 Lehigh | December 11, 1909 |
| 694 Ekard | November 7, 1909 |
| 695 Bella | November 7, 1909 |
| 696 Leonora | January 10, 1910 |
| 726 Joëlla | November 22, 1911 |
| 729 Watsonia | February 9, 1912 |
| 736 Harvard | November 16, 1912 |
| 737 Arequipa | December 7, 1912 |
| 739 Mandeville | February 7, 1913 |
| 740 Cantabia | February 10, 1913 |
| 741 Botolphia | February 10, 1913 |
| 747 Winchester | March 7, 1913 |
| 755 Quintilla | April 6, 1908 |
| 756 Lilliana | April 26, 1908 |
| 757 Portlandia | September 30, 1908 |
| 767 Bondia | September 23, 1913 |
| 784 Pickeringia | March 20, 1914 |
| 792 Metcalfia | March 20, 1907 |
| 1345 Potomac | February 4, 1908 |
Bibliography
editMetcalf, Joel H. (1906). "An Amateur's Observatory". Popular Astronomy. 14: 211. Bibcode:1906PA.....14..211M.
Metcalf, Joel H. (1906). "A New Method for the Discovery of Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal. 23: 306. Bibcode:1906ApJ....23..306M. doi:10.1086/141344.
Metcalf, Joel H. (1907). "A Photographic Method for the Detection of Variability in Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal. 25: 264. Bibcode:1907ApJ....25..264M. doi:10.1086/141441.
Metcalf, Joel H. (1912). "The Asteroid Problem". Popular Astronomy. 20: 201. Bibcode:1912PA.....20..201M.
See also
editStoneham, Rachel Metcalf (1939). "Joel H. Metcalf, Clergyman-Astronomer". Popular Astronomy. 47: 22. Bibcode:1939PA.....47...22S.
References
edit- ^ Bailey, S. I. (1925). "Joel Hastings Metcalf". Popular Astronomy. 33: 493. Bibcode:1925PA.....33..493B.
- ^ a b "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). "(792) Metcalfia". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (792) Metcalfia. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 74. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_793. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). "(726) Joëlla". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (726) Joëlla. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 70. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_727. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.