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Charles H. Smiley
Charles Hugh Smiley (September 6, 1903 – July 26, 1977) was an American astronomer and academic, and the author of a column on astronomy, "Planets and Stars" (''Providence Journal'', 1938–1957). The main belt asteroid 1613 Smiley is named after him. He was considered "one of the world’s leading authorities on eclipses."D.H. Kelley, “Charles Hugh Smiley, 1903-1977,” ''Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada'', Vol. 72, p.46./ref> Biography Born in Camden, Missouri, he attended UCLA and UC Berkeley, where he earned a mathematics degree. He received an MA in mathematics from Berkeley (1925) and a PhD from the same university (1927). He taught mathematics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1927-9) and worked at the Royal Greenwich Observatory as a Guggenheim Fellow (1929–30). He worked as a professor of mathematics at Brown University from 1930 onwards. He was director of Ladd Observatory and served as chairman of the Department of Astronomy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galaxies – in either observational astronomy, observational (by analyzing the data) or theoretical astronomy. Examples of topics or fields astronomers study include planetary science, Sun, solar astronomy, the Star formation, origin or stellar evolution, evolution of stars, or the galaxy formation and evolution, formation of galaxies. A related but distinct subject is physical cosmology, which studies the Universe as a whole. Types Astronomers typically fall under either of two main types: observational astronomy, observational and theoretical astronomy, theoretical. Observational astronomers make direct observations of Astronomical object, celestial objects and analyze the data. In contrast, theoretical astronomers create and investigate Con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the " Century Series" of fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF), it was developed into an all-weather multirole aircraft in the early 1960s and extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. It was also produced under license by other nations and saw widespread service outside the United States. After interviews with Korean War fighter pilots in 1951, Lockheed lead designer Kelly Johnson chose to buck the trend of ever-larger and more complex fighters to produce a simple, lightweight aircraft with maximum altitude and climb performance. On 4 March 1954, the Lockheed XF-104 took to the skies for the first time, and on 26 February 1958, the production fighter was activated by the USAF. Just a few months later, it was pressed into action during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis to deter the use of Chinese MiG-15 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1977 Deaths
Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...n separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). * January 17 – 49 marines from the and are killed as a result of a collision in Barcelona harbour, Spain. * January 18 ** Scientists identify a previously unknown Bacteria, bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires' disease. ** Australia's worst Granville rail disaster, railway disaster at Granville, a suburb of Sydney, leaves 83 people dead. ** SFR Yugoslavia Prime minister Džemal Bijedić, his wife and 6 others are killed in a plane crash in Bosnia and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1903 Births
Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 10 – The Aceh Sultanate was fully annexed by the Dutch East Indies, Dutch forces, deposing the last sultan, marking the end of the Aceh War that have lasted for almost 30 years. * January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having been made in 1901#December, 1901). February * February 13 – Venezuelan crisis of 1902–03, Venezuelan crisis: After agreeing to arbitration in Washington, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy reach a settlement with Venezuela resulting in the Washington Protocols. The naval blockade that began in 1902 ends. * February 23 – Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity". March * March 2 – In New York City, the Martha Washington Hotel, the first hotel exclusively for women, opens. * March 3 – The British Admir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benjamin West (astronomer)
Benjamin West (March 1730 – August 26, 1813) was an American astronomer, mathematician, professor, and author of almanacs. Life and work Born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, Benjamin West was largely an autodidact. After a school he started in Providence, Rhode Island about 1753 proved unprofitable, he opened a dry-goods store and added what is thought to have been the first bookstore in Providence. He closed his store and made clothes for soldiers during the American Revolutionary War. Immediately after the war West opened another school in Providence and then taught at Philadelphia's new Protestant Episcopal Academy from 1787 to 1788. In 1786 he was appointed Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Rhode Island College (now known as Brown University), and assumed this position in 1788. He taught mathematics and astronomy at Rhode Island College until 1799. Upon leaving Rhode Island College West moved to Newport to start a school of navigation in his home. From 1802 until ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west. Belgium covers an area of and has a population of more than 11.8 million; its population density of ranks List of countries and dependencies by population density, 22nd in the world and Area and population of European countries, sixth in Europe. The capital and Metropolitan areas in Belgium, largest metropolitan region is City of Brussels, Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven. Belgium is a parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a complex Federation, federal system structured on regional and linguistic grounds. The country is divided into three highly autonomous Communities, regions and language areas o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uccle
Uccle (French language, French, ) or Ukkel (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the southern part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Belgium, Forest, Ixelles, and Watermael-Boitsfort, as well as the Flanders, Flemish municipalities of Drogenbos, Linkebeek and Sint-Genesius-Rode. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally Multilingualism, bilingual (French–Dutch). , the municipality had a population of 85,099 inhabitants. The total area is , which gives a population density of , half the average of Brussels. It is generally considered an affluent area of the region, and is particularly noted for its community of French immigrants. History Origins and medieval times According to legend, Uccle's Church of St. Peter was dedicated by Pope Leo III in the year 803, with Charlemagne and Gerbald, Bishop of Liè ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Observatory Of Belgium
The Royal Observatory of Belgium (; ; ) has been situated in the Uccle municipality of Brussels since 1890. It is part of the institutions of the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The Royal Observatory was first established in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode in 1826 by King William I of the Netherlands under the impulse of the astronomer and mathematician Adolphe Quetelet. It was home to a diameter aperture Zeiss reflector in the first half of the 20th century, one of the largest telescopes in the world at the time. It now owns a variety of other astronomical instruments, such as astrographs, as well as a range of seismograph equipment (for detecting earthquakes). Its main activities are reference systems and geodynamics, astrometry and dynamics of celestial bodies, astrophysics, and Solar physics. The asteroid 1276 Ucclia is named in honour of the city and the observatory and 16908 Groeselenberg is named for the hill the observatory is located on. History 19th cent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sylvain Julien Victor Arend
Sylvain Julien Victor Arend (6 August 1902 – 18 February 1992) was a Belgian astronomer born in Robelmont, Luxembourg province, Belgium. His main interest was astrometry. Together with Georges Roland, he discovered the bright comet C/1956 R1 (Arend-Roland). He also discovered, or co-discovered, the periodic comets 49P/Arend-Rigaux and 50P/Arend, Nova Scuti 1952, and a number of asteroids, including notably the Amor asteroid 1916 Boreas and the Trojan asteroid 1583 Antilochus. He also discovered 1652 Hergé which is named after Hergé, the creator of ''The Adventures of Tintin''. The asteroid 1563 Noël is named after his son, Emanuel Arend. In 1948, Arend started together with sixteen other people the skeptic organisation Comité Para The , in full (from French: "Belgian Committee for the Critical Analysis of Parasciences"), is a francophone-Belgian non-profit organisation of skeptics. Founded in 1949, the regards itself as the originator of the modern skeptical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1570 Brunonia
1570 Brunonia, provisional designation , is a stony asteroid of the Koronis family from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 9 October 1948, by Belgian astronomer Sylvain Arend at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle. The S-type asteroid is likely elongated and has a longer-than-average rotation period of more than 48 hours. It was named for Brown University in Rhode Island, United States. Orbit and classification ''Brunonia'' is a core member of the Koronis family (), a very large outer asteroid family with nearly co-planar ecliptical orbits. It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 10 months (1,754 days; semi-major axis of 2.85 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.06 and an inclination of 2 ° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins at Uccle in November 1948, one month after its official discovery observation. Naming This min ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mayan Calendar
The Maya calendar is a system of calendars used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and in many modern communities in the Guatemalan highlands, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico. The essentials of the Maya calendar are based upon a system which had been in common use throughout the region, dating back to at least the 5th century BC. It shares many aspects with calendars employed by other earlier Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Zapotec and Olmec and contemporary or later ones such as the Mixtec and Aztec calendars. By the Maya mythological tradition, as documented in Colonial Yucatec accounts and reconstructed from Late Classic and Postclassic inscriptions, the deity Itzamna is frequently credited with bringing the knowledge of the calendrical system to the ancestral Maya, along with writing in general and other foundational aspects of Mayan culture. Overview The Maya calendar consists of several cycles or ''counts'' of different lengths. The 260-day count is known to sch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
