Chester Smith Lyman (January 13, 1814 – January 29, 1890) was an American teacher, clergyman and astronomer.

Early life and education

He was born in Manchester, Connecticut, to Chester and Mary Smith Lyman. Chester is the descendant of Richard Lyman, a settler who arrived in America in 1631. Chester's early education was in a country school, but at an early age he showed a strong interest in astronomy and the sciences. By 1833 he had gained admittance to Yale, and graduated in 1837. In his junior year he became editor of the ''

Yale Literary Magazine The ''Yale Literary Magazine'', founded in 1836, is a student literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, and visual art by Yale University, Yale undergraduate education, undergraduates twice per year, academic year. Notable alumni feature ...

'' and he was a member of Skull and Bones. "This list is compiled from material from the Order of Skull and Bones membership books at Sterling Library, Yale University and other public records. The latest books available are the 1971 ''Living members'' and the 1973 ''Deceased Members'' books. The last year the members were published in the '' Yale Banner'' is 1969." He served for two years as Superintendent of Ellington School, then studied theology at the Union and Yale seminaries. For health reasons he then began to travel. In 1846 he sailed to Hawaii and remained for a year. While in Hawaii, he visited missionaries, including his distant cousin David Belden Lyman. In 1847 he sailed to California. There he became a surveyor, mapping ranches and towns. For a few months he joined in the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

, then returned to his surveying work. In 1850 he was married to Delia W. Wood, and settled in New Haven. The couple would have six children, with four surviving to adulthood, including Delia Lyman Porter, author, organizer, social reformer, and clubwoman.

Career

He became a professor of Industrial Mechanics and Physics at Yale's Sheffield Scientific School, and was considered an eminent scholar. He invented the combined transit instrument and zenith telescope that was used to determine latitude, including that of Hawaii. He was on the board of managers for the Yale Observatory, and in December 1866 he was the first to observe the delicate ring of light surrounding

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

when the planet is in inferior conjunction. This observation helped confirm the presence of an atmosphere around the planet. He patented a design for a wave machine in 1867. In 1871 he became a professor of astronomy and physics at the same institution, then exclusively of astronomy in 1884 as his health began to fail. He retired as professor emeritus in 1889. He became the director of the Yale Observatory and held that post until his death. He died in 1890 as the result of a stroke, which had kept him home-bound for the last two years of his life. Chester Lyman was a member of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences and an honorary member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He served as president of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences for 20 years. His son, Chester W. Lyman, established the Chester S. Lyman Lecture Series at Yale in memory of his father.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyman, Chester American astronomers 1814 births 1890 deaths Yale College alumni Yale University faculty Sheffield Scientific School faculty Members of Skull and Bones