Charles Dillon Perrine
Charles Dillon Perrine (July 28, 1867 – June 21, 1951) was an American astronomer at the Lick Observatory in California (1893-1909) who moved to Cordoba, Argentina to accept the position of Director of the Argentine National Observatory (1909-1936). The Cordoba Observatory under Perrine's direction made the first attempts to prove Einstein's theory of relativity by astronomical observation of the deflection of starlight near the Sun during the solar eclipse of October 10, 1912 in Cristina (Brazil), and the solar eclipse of August 21, 1914 at Feodosia, Crimea, Russian Empire. Rain in 1912 and clouds in 1914 prevented results.
Charles Dillon Perrine | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 28, 1867 Steubenville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | June 21, 1951 (aged 83) Villa Gen. Mitre, Cordoba, Argentina |
| Alma mater | Santa Clara College (honorary doctorate) (1905) |
| Known for | First attempts at light deflection test of relativity (1912 solar eclipse, Brazil; 1914 solar eclipse, Russia). Discovery of sixth and seventh Moons of Jupiter: Himalia, Elara |
| Spouse | Bell (Smith) Perrine (m. 1905) |
| Awards | Lalande Prize (1897) Astronomical Society of Mexico Gold Medal (1905) Donohoe Comet Medals (x5) from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Panama–Pacific International Exposition Gold Medal (1915) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy, astrophysics, astrophotography |
| Institutions | Lick Observatory, Argentine National Observatory |
In 1897 he was awarded the Lalande Prize and gold medal by the Paris Academy of Sciences given each year ″to the person who makes the most outstanding observation ... to further the progress of Astronomy, in France or elsewhere.″. He served as president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1902, was elected an Associate of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1904, and was awarded the gold medal of the Mexican Astronomical Society in 1905. In the same year he received the degree of Doctor of Sciences (honorary) from Santa Clara College (today Santa Clara University.