John Adelbert Parkhurst
Encyclopedia
John Adelbert Parkhurst was an American
astronomer
.
He was born in Dixon, Illinois
, and attended public schools in the state at Marengo and Wheaton College. He then attended Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana
, earning a B.Sc. in 1886. For the following two years he taught mathematics at the same school. In 1888 he married Anna Greenleaf.
He returned to Marengo, Illinois
where he kept a small, private observatory that he used primarily for variable star observation. The Yerkes Observatory
was built nearby in 1897, and in 1898 he joined the staff as a Volunteer Research Assistant. By 1900 he was appointed as an assistant. He remained on the staff for 25 years, later becoming an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago
, specializing in practical astronomy.
His most important work was in the specialty of photometry
. He also participated in three eclipse expeditions, but only enjoyed clear seeing conditions on the last (1925). During his career he published about 100 papers on astronomy, both before and during his time at Yerkes. In 1905 he was elected a fellow of the Astronomical Society. On February 27, 1925, Ithaca, New York
, he suffered a cerebral hemorrage
and died a few day later. He was survived by his wife, Anna.
The crater Parkhurst
on the Moon
is named after him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronomer
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 was born in Dixon, Illinois
Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 at the 2000 census. Named for its founder, John Dixon , it is the county seat of Lee County. Located on the Rock River, Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S...
, and attended public schools in the state at Marengo and Wheaton College. He then attended Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
, earning a B.Sc. in 1886. For the following two years he taught mathematics at the same school. In 1888 he married Anna Greenleaf.
He returned to Marengo, Illinois
Marengo, Illinois
Marengo is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,355 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Marengo is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Major Streets:...
where he kept a small, private observatory that he used primarily for variable star observation. The Yerkes Observatory
Yerkes Observatory
Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Chicago in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The observatory, which calls itself "the birthplace of modern astrophysics," was founded in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and financed by Charles T. Yerkes...
was built nearby in 1897, and in 1898 he joined the staff as a Volunteer Research Assistant. By 1900 he was appointed as an assistant. He remained on the staff for 25 years, later becoming an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, specializing in practical astronomy.
His most important work was in the specialty of photometry
Photometry (astronomy)
Photometry is a technique of astronomy concerned with measuring the flux, or intensity of an astronomical object's electromagnetic radiation...
. He also participated in three eclipse expeditions, but only enjoyed clear seeing conditions on the last (1925). During his career he published about 100 papers on astronomy, both before and during his time at Yerkes. In 1905 he was elected a fellow of the Astronomical Society. On February 27, 1925, Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, he suffered a cerebral hemorrage
Intracranial hemorrhage
An intracranial hemorrhage is a hemorrhage, or bleeding, within the skull.-Causes:Intracranial bleeding occurs when a blood vessel within the skull is ruptured or leaks. It can result from physical trauma or nontraumatic causes such as a ruptured aneurysm...
and died a few day later. He was survived by his wife, Anna.
The crater Parkhurst
Parkhurst (crater)
Parkhurst is a heavily degraded lunar crater to the northeast of the Mare Australe on the far side of the Moon. To the north-northeast of Parkhurst is the crater Scaliger and to the southwest lies the dark-floored Gernsback. The small lunar mare named Lacus Solitudinis lies due north of...
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is named after him.