Eben Jenks Loomis (November 11, 1828 – December 2, 1912) was an American

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either o ...

, born in

Oppenheim Oppenheim () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is a well-known wine center, being the home of the German Winegrowing Museum, and is particularly known for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbru ...

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

. He attended the

Lawrence Scientific School The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) is the engineering school within Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, offering degrees in engineering and applied sciences to graduate students admitted ...

( Harvard) in 1851–53. He was assistant in the ''

American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac ''The American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac'' was published for the years 1855 to 1980, containing information necessary for astronomers, surveyors, and navigators. It was based on the original British publication, '' The Nautical Almanac and Ast ...

'' office from 1850 until his retirement in 1900. During this time he also held the position of special assistant at the

United States Naval Observatory 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 Depo ...

in Washington, DC. Loomis was a member of the United States eclipse expedition to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

in 1889, which observed the total solar eclipse on December 22. He is author of ''Wayside Sketches'' (1894); ''An Eclipse Party in Africa'' (1896); and
A Sunset Idyl, and Other Poems
' (1903). He was the father of

Mabel Loomis Todd Mabel Loomis Todd or Mabel Loomis (November 10, 1856 – October 14, 1932) was an American editor and writer. She is remembered as the editor of posthumously published editions of Emily Dickinson and also wrote several novels and logs of her ...

.Representative Women of New England by Julia Ward Howe
Google Books
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External links

The Emily Dickinson Electronic Archives

Eben Jenks Loomis. 11 November 1828-2 December 1912
A paper read by his granddaughter Millicent Todd, to a group of friends, 8 February 1913 (1913)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Eben Jenks American astronomers Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni 1828 births 1912 deaths Writers from New York (state)