Willem Hendrik van den Bos
Encyclopedia
Willem Hendrik van den Bos (September 25, 1896, Rotterdam
– March 30, 1974) was a Dutch
-South Africa
n astronomer
. At least one source refers to him as Van der Bos, but this seems to be an error.
He initially worked at Leiden Observatory
in the Netherlands
, but came to Union Observatory
in South Africa
in 1925, becoming director in 1941.
He discovered thousands of double star
s and recorded tens of thousands of micrometer
measurements of such stars, calculating the orbits of a number of binary star
s.
He was president of the Astronomical Society of South Africa in 1943 and 1955.
Some biographical sources say he discovered more than a hundred asteroid
s; however the Minor Planet Center
does not credit him with any asteroid discoveries.
The asteroid 1663 van den Bos
is named after him, as is the lunar crater van den Bos
.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
– March 30, 1974) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n 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...
. At least one source refers to him as Van der Bos, but this seems to be an error.
He initially worked at Leiden Observatory
Leiden Observatory
Leiden Observatory is an astronomical observatory in the city of Leiden, Netherlands. It was established by Leiden University in 1633, to house the quadrant of Snellius, and is the oldest operating University observatory in the world Leiden Observatory (Sterrewacht Leiden in Dutch) is an...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, but came to Union Observatory
Union Observatory
Union Observatory was an astronomical observatory located in the suburb Observatory, Johannesburg, South Africa. It bears IAU code 078.Known as the Transvaal Observatory in its early years, it became the Republic Observatory in 1961...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1925, becoming director in 1941.
He discovered thousands of double star
Double star
In observational astronomy, a double star is a pair of stars that appear close to each other in the sky as seen from Earth when viewed through an optical telescope. This can happen either because the pair forms a binary star, i.e...
s and recorded tens of thousands of micrometer
Micrometer
A micrometer , sometimes known as a micrometer screw gauge, is a device incorporating a calibrated screw used widely for precise measurement of small distances in mechanical engineering and machining as well as most mechanical trades, along with other metrological instruments such as dial, vernier,...
measurements of such stars, calculating the orbits of a number of binary star
Binary star
A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes, or secondary...
s.
He was president of the Astronomical Society of South Africa in 1943 and 1955.
Some biographical sources say he discovered more than a hundred asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
s; however the Minor Planet Center
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , which is part of the Center for Astrophysics along with the Harvard College Observatory ....
does not credit him with any asteroid discoveries.
The asteroid 1663 van den Bos
1663 van den Bos
1663 van den Bos is a main-belt asteroid discovered on August 4, 1926 by H. E. Wood at Johannesburg .- External links :*...
is named after him, as is the lunar crater van den Bos
Van den Bos (crater)
Van den Bos is a small lunar crater that is joined to the south-southwestern outer rim of the slightly larger crater Tamm. About one crater diameter to the west is Vil'ev. Farther away to the east is the prominent Chaplygin, and to the south-southwest lies Marconi...
.