David Peck Todd (March 19, 1855 — June 1, 1939) was an American

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, galax ...

. He produced a complete set of photographs of the 1882

transit of Venus A transit of Venus takes place when Venus passes directly between the Sun and the Earth (or any other superior planet), becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a transit, Venus is visible as ...

Biography

Todd was born in Lake Ridge,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, the son of Sereno Edwards Todd and Rhoda (Peck) Todd. He prepared at John C. Overhiser's School in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. He studied at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

from 1870 to 1872, then at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

from 1873 to 1875, where he graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

in the class of 1875. He earned his M.A. from Amherst in 1878. He was awarded an honorary degree from Washington and Jefferson College in 1888. Todd worked at the

US Naval Observatory The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the D ...

from 1875 to 1878, and at the US Nautical Almanac Office from 1878 to 1881. From 1881 to 1917 he was a professor of astronomy and director of the observatory at Amherst College. From 1882 to 1887, he was also a professor of astronomy and higher mathematics at nearby

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

. He married Mabel Loomis on March 5, 1879, and together they had one daughter, Millicent Todd Bingham. His wife had had an affair with

William Austin Dickinson William Austin Dickinson (April 16, 1829 – August 16, 1895) was an American lawyer who lived and worked in Amherst, Massachusetts. Known to family and friends as "Austin", he was, notably, the older brother of poet Emily Dickinson. After gra ...

, the (married) brother of

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

. The affair was an open secret in Amherst, and David Todd seems to have accepted it willingly. A collection of the two lovers' letters were published in ''Austin and Mabel: The Amherst Affair & Love Letters of Austin Dickinson and Mabel Loomis Todd'' (). More information about the complex relationship among David Todd, Mabel Loomis Todd and Austin Dickinson can be found in After Emily: Two Remarkable Women and the Legacy of America’s Greatest Poet By 1917, David's deteriorating health and erratic mental behavior caused Amherst president Alexander Meiklejohn to force his early retirement from the College, and the couple moved to Coconut Grove, Florida. In 1922 Mabel and Millicent made the difficult decision to have David institutionalized; for the remainder of his life he was in and out of various mental and care facilities.

Astronomical and other accomplishments

Todd designed and erected several observatories, including those at

from 1886 to 1888 and at Amherst College from 1903 to 1906. He established Standard Time in

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in 1907. He was chief astronomer at the

Lick Observatory The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of California. It is on the summit of Mount Hamilton (California), Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, United States. The ...

during the

in 1882, and created the first known photographs of the transit. At the time of the 2004 Transit of Venus, astronomers at the Lick Observatory found and animated Todd’s still photos. He was a member of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

, the

Philosophical Society of Washington Founded in 1871, the Philosophical Society of Washington is the oldest scientific society in Washington, D.C. It continues today as PSW Science. Since 1887, the Society has met regularly in the assembly hall of the Cosmos Club. In the Club's pre ...

, and the Japan Society. He was fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, the Society of Natural and Physical Sciences, Cherbourg, France; the Sociedad Geografica de Lima, Peru. In 1896 he was presented, by the

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

, with the Imperial Saké Cup for services in the cause of education in Japan. In addition, Todd was the organizer and leader of a number of important astronomical expeditions: * The New England expedition to Texas for solar eclipse of July 29, 1878 * The American expedition to Japan for solar eclipse of August 19, 1887 * A U. S. scientific expedition to

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

in 1889 and 1890 * The Amherst expedition to Japan for the solar eclipse of August 9, 1896 * The Lowell expedition to Tripoli for solar eclipse of May 28, 1900 * The Amherst eclipse expedition to the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

in 1901 * The Lowell Mars expedition to the Andes, 1907 * Expedition to Tripoli for the solar eclipse of August 30, 1905 * Expedition to Russia for

solar eclipse of August 21, 1914 A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Friday, August 21, 1914, with a magnitude of 1.0328. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of t ...

* Expedition to Florida for

solar eclipse of June 8, 1918 A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's Lunar node, descending node of orbit between Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9, 1918, with a Magnitude of eclipse, magnitude of 1.0292. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and th ...

* Expedition to Brazil and Argentina for

solar eclipse of May 29, 1919 A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Thursday, May 29, 1919, with a magnitude of 1.0719. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of ...

Todd crater on Phobos (a moon or

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

) is named after him. In addition, asteroids 511 Davida and 510 Mabella are named after him and his wife.

Letter from James Clerk Maxwell to Todd

On the 19th of March 1879,

Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of N ...

wrote a letter to Todd. After Maxwell's death in November 1879, Todd sent the letter to

G. G. Stokes Sir George Gabriel Stokes, 1st Baronet, (; 13 August 1819 – 1 February 1903) was an Irish mathematician and physicist. Born in County Sligo, Ireland, Stokes spent his entire career at the University of Cambridge, where he served as the Lucasi ...

, who read the letter in January 1880 at a meeting of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

Writings

* ''Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies.'' New York: Harper, 192

Todd was also the author of ''New Astronomy''; ''Stars and Telescopes'', and many shorter articles. He also edited the Columbian Knowledge Series.

References

External links

* * * *
David Peck Todd papers (MS 496b). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, David Peck 1855 births 1939 deaths American astronomers Amherst College alumni Amherst College faculty Columbia University alumni Emily Dickinson Smith College faculty