George Van Biesbroeck

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Van Biesbroeck observes Mars at the Yerkes Observatory
Discovered asteroids : 16
(990) Yerkes November 23, 1922
(993) Moultona January 12, 1923
(1024) Hale December 2, 1923
(1027) Aesculapia November 11, 1923
(1033) Simona September 4, 1924
(1045) Michela November 19, 1924
(1046) Edwin December 1, 1924
(1079) Mimosa January 14, 1927
(1270) Datura 17th December 1930
(1312) Vassar July 27, 1933
(1464) Armisticia November 11, 1939
(2253) Espinette July 30, 1932
(2463) Sterpin March 10, 1934
(3211) Louispharailda February 10, 1931
(3378) Susan Victoria November 25, 1922
(3641) Williams Bay November 24, 1922

George-Achille Van Biesbroeck , later George A. Van Biesbroeck , (born January 21, 1880 in Ghent , † February 23, 1974 in Tucson , Arizona ) was an American astronomer born in Belgium. He was born as Georges-Achilles Van Biesbroeck, but called himself George A. Van Biesbroeck after emigrating to the USA.

He discovered the periodic comet 53P / Van Biesbroeck , as well as the non-periodic comets: C / 1925 W1 (Van Biesbroeck 1) and C / 1935 Q1 (Van Biesbroeck 2). In addition, he discovered 16 asteroids (see list).

He was initially an engineer, but gave up this profession and moved to the staff of the Royal Observatory in Uccle .

Van Biesbroeck was invited to do research at the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin during World War I in 1915 . Since he could take his family with him, he moved to the USA and worked in the field of binary stars , comets, asteroids and variable stars . In 1945 he officially retired, but this did not hinder his activities. In 1963 he moved to the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson , where he continued to work under Gerard Kuiper .

Honors

Van Biesbroeck received the James Craig Watson Medal in 1957 . In addition, the asteroid 1781 Van Biesbroeck and the lunar crater Van Biesbroeck were named after him. Furthermore, the red dwarf VB 10 (Wolf 1055 B) he discovered is sometimes also called Van Briesbroeck's star . The George Van Biesbroeck Prize (George Van Biesbroeck Prize), which the American Astronomical Society awards, is also named after him.

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