Heber Doust Curtis
Encyclopedia
Heber Doust Curtis was an American astronomer
.
He studied at the University of Michigan
and at the University of Virginia
, where he got a degree in astronomy.
From 1902 to 1920 Curtis worked at Lick Observatory
, continuing the survey of nebula
e initiated by Keeler. In 1912 he was elected president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
.
In 1920 he was appointed director of the Allegheny Observatory
. In the same year he participated in the Great Debate
with Harlow Shapley
on the nature of nebulae and galaxies
, and the size of the universe.
Curtis also invented a type of film plate comparator in about 1925, allowing 2 plates, each 8×10 in
, to be compared using a set of prisms and placing the plates on stacked and aligned stages rather than next to one another as was the norm, this allowed the body of the device to measure just 60×51 cm
.
This device is packed in crates and resided at UCO Lick Observatory
as of Aug 2011.
His article describing the device appears in the Publications of the Allegheny Observatory, vol. III, no. 2.
In 1930 Curtis was appointed director of the University of Michigan observatories, but the shortage of funds following the Great Depression
prevented him to construct a large reflector he had designed for the university at Ann Arbor. He contributed to develop the McMath-Hulbert private observatory at Lake Angelus.
He participated in 11 expeditions for the study of solar eclipse
s.
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
He studied at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, where he got a degree in astronomy.
From 1902 to 1920 Curtis worked at Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA...
, continuing the survey of nebula
Nebula
A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and other ionized gases...
e initiated by Keeler. In 1912 he was elected president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...
.
In 1920 he was appointed director of the Allegheny Observatory
Allegheny Observatory
The Allegheny Observatory is an American astronomical research institution, a part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh. The facility is listed on the National Register of Historical Places The Allegheny Observatory is an American astronomical research...
. In the same year he participated in the Great Debate
The Great Debate
In astronomy, the Great Debate, also called the Shapley–Curtis Debate, was an influential debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis which concerned the nature of spiral nebulae and the size of the universe...
with Harlow Shapley
Harlow Shapley
Harlow Shapley was an American astronomer.-Career:He was born on a farm in Nashville, Missouri, and dropped out of school with only the equivalent of a fifth-grade education...
on the nature of nebulae and galaxies
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
, and the size of the universe.
Curtis also invented a type of film plate comparator in about 1925, allowing 2 plates, each 8×10 in
Inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
, to be compared using a set of prisms and placing the plates on stacked and aligned stages rather than next to one another as was the norm, this allowed the body of the device to measure just 60×51 cm
CM
- Places :* Cameroon, which has the ISO and FIPS country code "CM"** .cm, the country code top-level domain for Cameroon* Chelmsford, which has the British post code "CM"- Science :* Centimetre a unit of length equal to one hundredth of a metre...
.
This device is packed in crates and resided at UCO Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA...
as of Aug 2011.
His article describing the device appears in the Publications of the Allegheny Observatory, vol. III, no. 2.
In 1930 Curtis was appointed director of the University of Michigan observatories, but the shortage of funds following the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
prevented him to construct a large reflector he had designed for the university at Ann Arbor. He contributed to develop the McMath-Hulbert private observatory at Lake Angelus.
| (23400) A913 CF | February 11, 1913 |
He participated in 11 expeditions for the study of solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
s.