Minor planets discovered: 1 [1]
1604 Tombaugh 24 March 1931 list

Carl Otto Lampland (December 29, 1873 – December 14, 1951) was an American astronomer. He was involved with both of the Lowell Observatory solar system projects, observations of the planet Mars and the search for Planet X.[2][3][4][5]

Carl Otto Lampland, c. 1920

Biography edit

Carl Otto Lampland was born near Hayfield in Dodge County, Minnesota. He was born into a family of ten children. Both his father Ole Helliksen Lampland (1834–1914) and his mother Berit Gulliksdatter Skartum (1850–1943) were born in Norway.[6]

He was educated first at Valparaiso Normal school in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he earned a B.S. degree in 1899. He then studied at Indiana University, where he received a B.A. degree in astronomy in 1902, an M.A. in 1906, and an honorary LL.D in 1930.[7]

He first went to Lowell Observatory in 1902 when invited by Percival Lowell[8] and Lampland was closely involved with Lowell in planetary observation. He designed cameras used for astronomy and also designed and maintained telescopes, including resilvering the mirror of the 40-inch (1,000 mm) telescope. He also constructed thermocouples and used them to measure temperatures of planets. He won the Royal Photographic Society Medal in 1905 for the camera which he designed for the 24-inch Clark telescope.[9] Together with William Coblentz, he measured large differences between the day and night temperatures on Mars which implied a thin Martian atmosphere. He discovered the asteroid 1604 Tombaugh. In 1907 Lampland and Lowell won a Royal Photographic Society exhibition medal for their photographs of Mars.[2]

 
Lampland at the Fourth Conference International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research at Mount Wilson Observatory, 1910

Honors edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 4 September 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b Duncan, J. C. (December 1952). "Carl Otto Lampland". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 64 (381): 293. Bibcode:1952PASP...64..293D. doi:10.1086/126497.
  3. ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1767) Lampland". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1767) Lampland. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 141. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1768. ISBN 978-3540002383.
  4. ^ "Obituary Information for Dr. Carl Otto Lampland (Arizona Champion/Coconino Sun, Flagstaff, Arizona)". Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  5. ^ Kevin Schindler, Lowell Observatory (May 14, 2015). "Percival Lowell's three early searches for Planet X". Astronomy Magazine. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  6. ^ Ole Helliksen Lampland (Dodge-Olmsted MN Norwegian-Americans)
  7. ^ "Recipients of Honorary Degrees (Indiana University)". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  8. ^ Hockey, Thomas (2009). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer Publishing. ISBN 978-0387310220. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  9. ^ Biography (Lowell Observatory Archives) Archived June 15, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Carl Otto Lampland". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  11. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  12. ^ "Carl Otto Lampland". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  13. ^ "Carl Otto Lampland". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  14. ^ "C.O. Lampland Collection,1894-1951". Arizona Archives Online. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  15. ^ "Mars' Calendar". The Planetary Society. Retrieved January 5, 2016.

Related reading edit

  • Slipher, Earl C. (1962) The Photographic Story of Mars (Cambridge Massachusetts: Sky Publishing)
  • Croswell, Ken (1997) Planet Quest: The Epic Discovery of Alien Solar Systems (New York: The Free Press) ISBN 978-0684832524
  • Hughes, Stefan (2012) Catchers of the Light: The Forgotten Lives of the Men and Women Who First Photographed the Heavens (ArtDeCiel Publishing) ISBN 978-1620509616. OCLC 826821840
  • Littman, Mark (1990) Planets Beyond: Discovering the Outer Solar System (New York: Wiley) ISBN 978-0471510536
  • Schilling, Govert (2009) The Hunt for Planet X: New Worlds and the Fate of Pluto (New York: Springer) ISBN 978-0387778044

External links edit