Leslie Peltier

Leslie Copus Peltier (January 2, 1900 – May 10, 1980) was an American amateur astronomer and discoverer of several comets and novae, including Nova Herculis 1963. He was once described as "the world's greatest non-professional astronomer" by Harlow Shapley.[1][2]

Leslie C. Peltier
Born
Leslie Copus Peltier

(1900-01-02)January 2, 1900
Delphos, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMay 10, 1980(1980-05-10) (aged 80)
Delphos, Ohio, U.S.
SpouseDorothy 'Dottie' Nihiser

Biography

Leslie Copus Peltier was born in Delphos, Ohio. Delphos is located in northwestern Ohio in both Van Wert and Allen County. His homeplace was located on South Bredeick Street, and his home is still standing today. The home was known as Brookehaven. Peltier married Dorothy Nihiser in November 1933. An amateur astronomer, he was a prolific discoverer of comets and also a persistent observer of variable stars and member of the AAVSO. He was co-discoverer of 12 comets, 10 of which carry his name, and over a span of more than 60 years made more than 132,000 variable star observations.[3]

He wrote the autobiographical Starlight Nights (ISBN 0-933346-94-8), which evokes the magic of stargazing in simpler days, on a farm and without light pollution.

Main-belt asteroid 3850 Peltier is named in his honor,[2] as is the Leslie C. Peltier Award of the Astronomical League.

Publications

Peltier authored the following books:

  • Starlight Nights: The Adventures of a Star-Gazer (1965);[4] also published in Japanese as Hoshi No Kuru Yoru (1985)[5]
  • Guideposts to the Stars: Exploring the Skies Throughout the Year (1972);[6] also published in Dutch as Spectrum Sterrengids (1976)[7] and as Prisma Sterrengids (1979)[8]
  • The Place on Jennings Creek (1977)[9]
  • Leslie Peltier's Guide to the Stars (1986)[10]
  • The Binocular Stargazer: A Beginner's Guide to Exploring the Sky (1995)[11]

References
  1. Star & Sky Magazine, Volume 2 (1980), p. 39
  2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3850) Peltier". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Berlin; Heidelberg: Springer. pp. 326–327. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3842. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. Delphos astronomer Leslie Peltier’s prescription: One dose of starlight each clear night before retiring Archived 2015-08-04 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Peltier, Leslie C. (1965). Starlight Nights: The Adventures of a Star-Gazer (1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row. OCLC 775221.
  5. Peltier, L. C. (1985). Hoshi No Kuru Yoru (in Japanese). Translated by Susuki, Keiko. OCLC 63411105.
  6. Peltier, Leslie C. (1972). Guideposts to the Stars: Exploring the Skies Throughout the Year. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 9780027706000. OCLC 524830.
  7. Peltier, L. (1976). Spectrum Sterrengids (in Dutch). Translated by Beekman, G. W. E. Utrecht, Netherlands: Het Spectrum. ISBN 9789027458650. OCLC 63411105.
  8. Peltier, L. (1979). Prisma Sterrengids (in Dutch). Translated by Beekman, G. W. E. (2nd ed.). Utrecht, Netherlands: Het Spectrum. ISBN 9789027458650. OCLC 63411105.
  9. Peltier, Leslie C. (1977). The Place on Jennings Creek. Chicago, Illinois: Adams Press. OCLC 27656592.
  10. Peltier, Leslie C. (1986). Leslie Peltier's Guide to the Stars. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: AstroMedia. ISBN 9780913135044. OCLC 13793057.
  11. Peltier, Leslie C. (1995). The Binocular Stargazer: A Beginner's Guide to Exploring the Sky. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publications. ISBN 9780913135259. OCLC 32850762.


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