Oscar Monnig
Encyclopedia
Oscar E. Monnig was an American
amateur astronomer
, acknowledged for his contributions to meteoritics
.
, Texas
, the United States. In 1925 he received a law degree
from the University of Texas. He worked for the family dry goods
business and was its president from 1974 to 1981, when it was sold.
In 1941 he married Juanita Mickle, who died in 1996. They had no children. Monnig died in the city where he was born on May 4, 1999.
s, meteor
s, comet
s, and the planet
s.
In the late-1920s, Monnig developed an interest in meteorite
s and their contribution to astronomers' studies on the origins of the Solar System
. He was a founding member of the Society for Research on Meteorites (later renamed Meteoritical Society
).
, the Field Museum
, and the American Museum of Natural History
, he increased his collecting effort.
He questioned witnesses of meteoroid
detonations or bolides and organized and financed searching expeditions. He paid 1 dollar
per pound
, a price that museums could not match at the time of the Great Depression
.
Gradually, his collection grew to be one of the largest private collections in the world: it contained about 3,000 specimens from 400 different meteorites. Probably the most valuable were two carbonaceous chondrite
s, found at Crescent
, Oklahoma
, in 1936 and at Bells
, Texas, in 1961.
Monnig later decided to donate the collection to Texas Christian University
: he made a series of transfers, between 1976 and 1986. Nowadays, the collection contains over 1,000 different meteorites. In 2003, four years after he died, the Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery was opened, exhibiting about 10 per cent of the meteorites to the public.
for his services to amateur astronomers. In 1990, he received the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
for his contributions to meteoritics. The main belt asteroid 2780 Monnig
was named in his honour.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
amateur astronomer
Amateur astronomy
Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...
, acknowledged for his contributions to meteoritics
Meteoritics
Meteoritics is a science that deals with meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials that further our understanding of the origin and history of the solar system. A specialist who studies meteoritics is known as a meteoriticist....
.
Private life
Monnig was born in Fort WorthFort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the United States. In 1925 he received a law degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
from the University of Texas. He worked for the family dry goods
Dry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
business and was its president from 1974 to 1981, when it was sold.
In 1941 he married Juanita Mickle, who died in 1996. They had no children. Monnig died in the city where he was born on May 4, 1999.
Astronomy
In the 1920s Monnig started to be interested in astronomy. He founded the Texas Observers astronomy club and between 1931 and 1947 he published a monthly newsletter – the Texas Observers Bulletin – writing especially about issues of amateur astronomers' interest, such as variable starVariable star
A star is classified as variable if its apparent magnitude as seen from Earth changes over time, whether the changes are due to variations in the star's actual luminosity, or to variations in the amount of the star's light that is blocked from reaching Earth...
s, meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
s, 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, and the planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s.
In the late-1920s, Monnig developed an interest in meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
s and their contribution to astronomers' studies on the origins of the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. He was a founding member of the Society for Research on Meteorites (later renamed Meteoritical Society
Meteoritical Society
The Meteoritical Society is a non-profit scholarly organization founded in 1933 to promote research and education in planetary science with emphasis on studies of meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials that further our understanding of the origin and history of the solar system.The...
).
Meteoritical collection
In the early-1930s he started his own meteoritical collection. After he failed with his requests to be allowed to study meteorites at the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, the Field Museum
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It sits on Lake Shore Drive next to Lake Michigan, part of a scenic complex known as the Museum Campus Chicago...
, and the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, he increased his collecting effort.
He questioned witnesses of meteoroid
Meteoroid
A meteoroid is a sand- to boulder-sized particle of debris in the Solar System. The visible path of a meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere is called a meteor, or colloquially a shooting star or falling star. If a meteoroid reaches the ground and survives impact, then it is called a meteorite...
detonations or bolides and organized and financed searching expeditions. He paid 1 dollar
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
per pound
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
, a price that museums could not match at the time of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
Gradually, his collection grew to be one of the largest private collections in the world: it contained about 3,000 specimens from 400 different meteorites. Probably the most valuable were two carbonaceous chondrite
Carbonaceous chondrite
Carbonaceous chondrites or C chondrites are a class of chondritic meteorites comprising at least 7 known groups and many ungrouped meteorites. They include some of the most primitive known meteorites...
s, found at Crescent
Crescent, Oklahoma
Crescent is a city in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population inside the city limits was 1,281 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, in 1936 and at Bells
Bells, Texas
Bells is a town in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,190 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sherman–Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Bells is located at ....
, Texas, in 1961.
Monnig later decided to donate the collection to Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
: he made a series of transfers, between 1976 and 1986. Nowadays, the collection contains over 1,000 different meteorites. In 2003, four years after he died, the Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery was opened, exhibiting about 10 per cent of the meteorites to the public.
Awards
In 1984, Monnig became the first person to win the Texas Lone Stargazer's Award of the South-West Region of the Astronomical LeagueAstronomical League
The Astronomical League is an umbrella organization of amateur astronomy societies. Currently their membership consists of over 240 organizations across the United States, along with a number of Members-at-Large, Patrons, and Supporting members....
for his services to amateur astronomers. In 1990, he received the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...
for his contributions to meteoritics. The main belt asteroid 2780 Monnig
2780 Monnig
2780 Monnig is a main-belt asteroid discovered on February 28, 1981 by S. J. Bus at Siding Spring. It was named after Oscar Monnig, an American amateur astronomer acknowledged for his contributions to meteoritics.- External links :*...
was named in his honour.