Jean-Louis Pons
Encyclopedia
Jean-Louis Pons was a French
astronomer
.
Despite humble beginnings and being self-taught, he went on to become the greatest visual comet discoverer of all time: between 1801 and 1827 Pons discovered thirty-seven comet
s, more than any other person in history.
, Hautes-Alpes
, to a poor family; he received little formal education. In 1789, he began working for the Marseille
observatory as a caretaker
, and gradually gained some experience in assisting the astronomers with observations. He learned to make observations himself, showing a remarkable ability to remember star fields and note changes in them.
In his early astronomical career, the unassuming and trusting Pons was often the target of jokes perpetrated by more experienced astronomers. Franz Xaver von Zach once advised him to look for comets when sunspot
s were visible, though in doing so Zach may have inadvertently given Pons very good advice.
, on July 11, 1801. He appears to have used telescopes and lenses of his own design; his "Grand Chercheur" ("Great Seeker") seems to have been an instrument with large aperture and short focal length, similar to a "comet seeker
". However, he was not an especially diligent recorder of his observations, and his notes were often extremely vague.
In 1819, Pons became the director of the new observatory at Marlia near Lucca
, which he left in 1825 to teach astronomy at La Specola
, in Florence
.
He discovered four periodic comets, two of which, 7P/Pons-Winnecke
and 12P/Pons-Brooks
, bear his name. One observed on November 26, 1818 was named Comet Encke
after Johann Franz Encke
, who calculated its orbit and its remarkably short period (Encke, however, continued to refer to the comet as "Pons's Comet"). Pons also co-discovered the comet formerly known as "Pons-Coggia-Winnecke-Forbes" and today known as 27P/Crommelin
after Andrew Crommelin, who calculated its orbit.
Pons received the French Academy of Sciences
's Lalande Prize
in 1818 for his discovery of three comets in that year.
By 1827, Pons's eyesight had begun to fail, and he retired from observing altogether shortly before his death.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
Despite humble beginnings and being self-taught, he went on to become the greatest visual comet discoverer of all time: between 1801 and 1827 Pons discovered thirty-seven comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s, more than any other person in history.
Early life
Pons was born at PeyrePeyre
Peyre is the name or part of the name of the following communes in France:* La Chaze-de-Peyre, in the Lozère department* Peyre, Landes, in the Landes department* Saint-Léger-de-Peyre, in the Lozère department...
, Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes is a department in southeastern France named after the Alps mountain range.- History :Hautes-Alpes is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, to a poor family; he received little formal education. In 1789, he began working for the Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
observatory as a caretaker
Concierge
A concierge is an employee who either works in shifts within, or lives on the premises of an apartment building or a hotel and serves guests with duties similar to those of a butler. The position can also be maintained by a security officer over the 'graveyard' shift. A similar position, known as...
, and gradually gained some experience in assisting the astronomers with observations. He learned to make observations himself, showing a remarkable ability to remember star fields and note changes in them.
In his early astronomical career, the unassuming and trusting Pons was often the target of jokes perpetrated by more experienced astronomers. Franz Xaver von Zach once advised him to look for comets when sunspot
Sunspot
Sunspots are temporary phenomena on the photosphere of the Sun that appear visibly as dark spots compared to surrounding regions. They are caused by intense magnetic activity, which inhibits convection by an effect comparable to the eddy current brake, forming areas of reduced surface temperature....
s were visible, though in doing so Zach may have inadvertently given Pons very good advice.
Career as an astronomer
Pons made his first comet discovery, jointly attributed to Charles MessierCharles Messier
Charles Messier was a French astronomer most notable for publishing an astronomical catalogue consisting of deep sky objects such as nebulae and star clusters that came to be known as the 110 "Messier objects"...
, on July 11, 1801. He appears to have used telescopes and lenses of his own design; his "Grand Chercheur" ("Great Seeker") seems to have been an instrument with large aperture and short focal length, similar to a "comet seeker
Comet seeker
A comet seeker is a type of small telescope adapted especially to searching for comets: commonly of short focal length and large aperture, in order to secure the greatest brilliancy of light....
". However, he was not an especially diligent recorder of his observations, and his notes were often extremely vague.
In 1819, Pons became the director of the new observatory at Marlia near Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
, which he left in 1825 to teach astronomy at La Specola
La Specola
Museum of Zoology and Natural History, best known as La Specola, is a museum in Florence, central Italy, located next to the Pitti Palace. The name "Specola" means observatory, a reference to the astronomical observatory founded there in 1790...
, in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
He discovered four periodic comets, two of which, 7P/Pons-Winnecke
7P/Pons-Winnecke
7P/Pons–Winnecke is a periodic comet in our solar system.Jean Louis Pons originally discovered the comet on June 12, 1819, it was later rediscovered by Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke on March 9, 1858. It is believed to be the parent body of the June Bootids of late June.7P has an orbital...
and 12P/Pons-Brooks
12P/Pons-Brooks
12P/Pons–Brooks is a periodic comet with a period of 71 years. The comet was suggested by Carl Sagan as the spectacular comet seen by the Chinese in 1486 BCE which, according to historical researcher Graham Phillips, might have inspired the rise of a number of monotheistic religions around the...
, bear his name. One observed on November 26, 1818 was named Comet Encke
Comet Encke
Comet Encke or Encke's Comet is a periodic comet that completes an orbit of the Sun once every three years — the shortest period of any known comet...
after Johann Franz Encke
Johann Franz Encke
Johann Franz Encke was a German astronomer. Among his activities, he worked on the calculation of the periods of comets and asteroids, measured the distance from the earth to the sun, and made observations on the planet Saturn.-Biography:Encke was born in Hamburg, where his father was a...
, who calculated its orbit and its remarkably short period (Encke, however, continued to refer to the comet as "Pons's Comet"). Pons also co-discovered the comet formerly known as "Pons-Coggia-Winnecke-Forbes" and today known as 27P/Crommelin
27P/Crommelin
Comet Crommelin, also known as Comet Pons-Coggia-Winnecke-Forbes, is a periodic comet in the solar system named after the British astronomer Andrew C. D. Crommelin who calculated its orbit in 1930...
after Andrew Crommelin, who calculated its orbit.
Pons received the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
's Lalande Prize
Lalande Prize
The Lalande Prize was an award for scientific advances in astronomy, given from 1802 through 1970 by the French Academy of Sciences.The prize was named for, and endowed by, astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 1801...
in 1818 for his discovery of three comets in that year.
By 1827, Pons's eyesight had begun to fail, and he retired from observing altogether shortly before his death.