Beryl H. Potter (September 16, 1900 – August 10, 1985), born Edna Beryl Hinkle, was an American astronomical researcher. She helped to discover asteroids and, in turn, an asteroid was named for her.
Beryl H. Potter | |
|---|---|
 Beryl H. Potter using a blink comparator, from a 1955 newspaper. | |
| Born | Edna Beryl Hinkle September 16, 1900 Goldsmith, Indiana |
| Died | August 10, 1985 Frankfort, Indiana |
| Occupation | Astronomical researcher |
| Known for | Asteroid 1729 Beryl |
Early life edit
Beryl Hinkle was born in Goldsmith, Indiana, the daughter of Edmond Isaac Hinkle and Blanche Adele Cross Hinkle.[1] Her father was a doctor.[2] She graduated from Goldsmith High School in 1917, and attended Indiana University.[3]
Career edit
Potter was a research assistant at Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory in Indiana,[4] from 1942 to 1965.[5] She was assistant to astronomer Frank K. Edmondson when he discovered a dwarf star in 1944.[6][7] She analyzed thousands photographic plates using a device called a blink comparator,[8] and "contributed immensely to the program of minor planet observations".[9] In 1952, she helped to discover the asteroid named 1578 Kirkwood.[10] In 1955, she was part of an "all-Hoosier team" that discovered the asteroid named 1602 Indiana; "Mrs. Beryl Potter, research assistant, gets credit for the most important work, since she actually spotted the tiny planet among thousands of stars on photographic plates," explained a 1955 newspaper report.[11] An asteroid (1729 Beryl) was officially named in her honor in 1968,[12] by astronomer Paul Herget.[13]
Personal life edit
Beryl Hinkle married William N. Potter. They lived in Bloomington, Indiana, and had seven children. In 1936 she had serious health issues requiring more than a dozen blood transfusions.[14] She moved to West Lafayette, Indiana in 1975.[3] She died in 1985, aged 84 years, in Frankfort.[13]
References edit
- ^ "Mrs. Blanche Hinkle". The Kokomo Tribune. 1970-05-13. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Goldsmith". The Tipton Daily Tribune. 1922-05-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Mrs. Beryl Potter". Journal and Courier. 1985-08-13. p. 22. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Edmondson, F. K. (1951). "Research". The Astronomical Journal. 56: 154. Bibcode:1951AJ.....56..154E. doi:10.1086/106572.
- ^ "West Lafayette". The Indianapolis News. 1985-08-14. p. 50. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "I. U. Professor Reports Finding Star Moving 155 Miles a Second". The Courier-Journal. 1944-02-07. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hoosier Discovers Star 'Speed Demon', Traveling More than 500,000 M. P. H." The Indianapolis Star. 1944-02-06. p. 38. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Our Little Bit of Heaven". The Indianapolis Star. 1955-03-13. p. 128. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2013-11-11). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 218. ISBN 978-3-662-06615-7.
- ^ "New Minor Planet Named for Pioneer Hoosier Scientist". Palladium-Item. 1952-03-23. p. 21. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Astronomers Discover New Planet, Pick Name of Indiana". The Tipton Daily Tribune. 1955-02-10. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Planetary Names". The Terre Haute Tribune. 1968-06-08. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Beryl Potter" Physics Today (February 1986): 92.
- ^ "Has Been Given 17 Blood Transfusions". The Kokomo Tribune. 1936-12-28. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
