Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin

Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin (December 19, 1845 February 29, 1904) was a French astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets. Some sources give his middle name as Athanase.

Minor planets discovered: 6
138 TolosaMay 19, 1874MPC
149 MedusaSeptember 21, 1875MPC
163 ErigoneApril 26, 1876MPC
170 MariaJanuary 10, 1877MPC
180 GarumnaJanuary 29, 1878MPC
252 ClementinaOctober 11, 1885MPC

In his early career, he and Guillaume Bigourdan were assistants of Félix Tisserand at Toulouse Observatory. Later, he was the first director of the Nice Observatory in Nice, France from 1884 until his death. He made observations of Mars and attempted to determine the rotation period of Venus. He also calculated perturbations in the orbit of 4 Vesta.

In the literature, he is sometimes referred to as Henri Perrotin and sometimes as Joseph Perrotin (this is indeed one and the same person). He is also referenced in H.G Well's novel "The War of The Worlds" as "Perrotin of Nice". His 6 asteroid discoveries are credited by the Minor Planet Center to "J. Perrotin".

He won the Prix Lalande in 1875 and 1883. The Martian crater Perrotin and the inner main-belt asteroid 1515 Perrotin were named in his honor.

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