Benjamin A. Gould. He was the initiator of observational astronomy and meteorology in the Argentine Republic . Creator of the observatory in that country.
Summary
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- 1 Biographical synthesis
- 1 Childhood
- 2 Studies
- 3 Marriage
- 4 Death
- 2 Contributions
- 1 Creation of the observatory in Argentina
- 2 Publications of the results of the observatory
- 3 Application of astronomical photos
- 4 Meteorology
- 3 Tribute
- 4 Sources
Biographical synthesis
Childhood
He was born on 27 September as as 1824 in Boston , Massachusetts . Under careful instruction, he soon showed what he would be like in the future. A child prodigy, he read at 3 and recited Latin at 5.
Studies
At 10 years of age he was familiar with the studies of many wise men, giving illustrated lectures with experiments in electricity.
At 19 he graduated from Harvard University, with distinctions in Classics, Physics and especially in Mathematics , under the inspiring influence of mathematician Benjamin Peirce. Gould soon decided on the branch of science to which he would dedicate his life.
In 1848 he was the first North American doctorate in this branch.
Marriage
In 1861 he married Mary ApthorpQuincy, a member of a powerful Boston family. Mrs. Gould, influences the life of the wise man, and remarkably supports him in his goals.
Death
The 26 of November of 1896 , thanksgiving day, a bad step on down the stairs at his home in Boston, makes falling off balance so badly that the head is struck. A few hours later he dies in the company of his children.
Contributions
Creation of the observatory in Argentina
In 1865 , he proposed to Sarmiento – then the Argentine Ambassador to the United States – the creation of an observatory in Argentina to explore the southern sky; Sarmiento was enthusiastic about the idea and when he assumed the presidency of the Nation he summoned Gould to carry it out.
Together with a team of collaborators, he dedicated himself to observing all visible stars without the need for optical devices, to determine their magnitudes and fix their approximate positions on maps. Thus, the studies were already advanced when in 1871 the observatory was inaugurated in the province of Córdoba. Under the direction of Gould, this center contributed decisively to the knowledge of the southern sky. Until then, most astronomical observatories – due to their location – could not account for a large number of southern stars, so the catalog of these was very poor: Gould and the Córdoba Observatory corrected this deficiency.
Publications of the results of the observatory
The publication of the Results of the Argentine National Observatory began immediately and in 1879 Gould released Argentine Uranometry, a work composed of an inventory of more than seven thousand stars in the southern hemisphere. These publications were then followed by the first two great southern records:
- Catalog of the stellar zones of 1884 , with more than 70 thousand stars.
- Argentine general catalog of 1886 , with more than 30 thousand.
Application of astronomical photos
Furthermore, Benjamin Gould was one of the first in the world to apply photography to astronomical studies, beginning in 1866 . In the mid- 1870s , his very high-quality astronomical photos were praised around the world and many received international awards.
He began the study of meteorology in Argentina: in 1872 , his proposal prompted the creation of the National Meteorological Office, which was attached to the Cordoba Observatory. In this office – a direct predecessor of the National Weather Service – Gould worked until 1884 . A year later he returned to the United States.
Meteorology
He began his studies of meteorology in Argentina. Indeed, at the initiative of Gould, Sarmiento sent a bill that was sanctioned and promulgated in 1872, creating the National Meteorological Office that functioned attached to the Cordoba Observatory until 1884 , under the disinterested direction of Gould, its annals appearing in 1878 .
Tribute
- In 1887 he received the James Craig Watson Medal. Astronomers continued to investigate the astrophysics of a wide range of features in the Milky Way that he drew attention to in 1877 , naming it the Gould Belt in his honor. A crater on the Moon is named after him.
- The Astronomical Museum of the Astronomical Observatory of Córdoba is named in his honor “Pte DF Sarmiento – Dr. BA Gould”. In this same institution the conference “Sarmiento-Gould” is held annually for its anniversary, which is in charge of prominent personalities. The Argentine Air Force has named the National Meteorological Museum of Córdoba Doctor Benjamín A. Gould .
- In tribute to his work, in 1972 the square around the Planetarium of the City of Buenos Aires was named after him .
