Jean Elias Benjamin Valz
Jean Elias Benjamin Valz (born May 27, 1787 in Nîmes , † April 22, 1867 ) was a French astronomer .
Valz initially trained as an engineer , but later turned to astronomy . He observed and calculated in particular the orbit of comets .
In 1835 he hypothesized that the observed orbital disturbances of Halley's Comet are caused by the gravitational effects of a planet beyond Uranus . The planet Neptune was not yet discovered at that time.
Valz set up a private observatory at his home in Nimes. When he took over the post of director of the Marseille Observatory , he left his house to the young astronomer Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent , who discovered the asteroid (51) Nemausa from there .
Valz was at times seen as the discoverer of two asteroids: (20) Massalia and (25) Phocaea . Their discovery is now attributed to the Italian Annibale de Gasparis or Valz's colleague Jean Chacornac .
On December 17, 1832, he became a corresponding member of the Académie des Sciences .
Web links
- http://www-obs.cnrs-mrs.fr/tricent/astronomes/valz.htm ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (French)
- Publications by B. Valz in the Astrophysics Data System
- W. Tempel: Death notice. Astronomische Nachrichten, vol. 69 (1867), p. 13 (obituary to JEB Valz)
Individual evidence
- ^ List of former members since 1666: Letter V. Académie des sciences, accessed on March 9, 2020 (French).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Valz, Jean Elias Benjamin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 27, 1787 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nîmes , France |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 22, 1867 |