Albert George Wilson (July 28, 1918 – August 27, 2012) was an American

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

and a discoverer of

minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...

s. He was born in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Texas. He received his Ph.D. in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

from

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

in 1947; his thesis title was ''Axially Symmetric Thermal Stresses in a Semi-Infinite Solid'' advised by

Harry Bateman Harry Bateman FRS (29 May 1882 – 21 January 1946) was an English mathematician with a specialty in differential equations of mathematical physics. With Ebenezer Cunningham, he expanded the views of spacetime symmetry of Lorentz and Poincare ...

. In 1949 he accepted a job at

Palomar Observatory Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory in San Diego County, California, United States, in the Palomar Mountain Range. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Research time at the observat ...

, and led the

Palomar Sky Survey Palomar may refer to: Places * Any of several locations in San Diego County, California: ** Palomar Mountain ** Palomar Observatory, located on Palomar Mountain ** Palomar College in San Marcos, California ** Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, ...

. In 1953 he became assistant director of

Lowell Observatory Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark ...

, and served as director from 1954 to 1957. He later worked at

Rand Corporation The RAND Corporation (from the phrase "research and development") is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is financed ...

and other private sector positions. In 1962 he became founding editor of the astronomical magazine ''

Icarus In Greek mythology, Icarus (; grc, Ἴκαρος, Íkaros, ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, King Minos suspe ...

''. In 1966, he accepted the position of associate director of

McDonnell-Douglas Corporation McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it produ ...

Advanced Research Laboratories (DARL), which he held from 1966 until 1972. Wilson then became an adjunct professor at

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, teaching courses in philosophy and science until his retirement. After retiring Wilson was associated with the ''Institute on Man and Science'' and the ''Institute of the Future'', lecturing and consulting for both groups. He discovered a number of

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

s, and also co-discovered the periodic

comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...

107P/Wilson–Harrington with

Robert George Harrington Robert George Harrington (December 3, 1904 – June 15, 1987) was an American astronomer who worked at Palomar Observatory. He should not be confused with Robert Sutton Harrington, who was also an astronomer, but was born later and worked at the U ...

. The object is also known as the minor planet

4015 Wilson–Harrington 4015 Wilson–Harrington is an active asteroid known both as comet 107P/Wilson–Harrington and as asteroid 4015 Wilson–Harrington. It will pass from Earth on 20 July 2022 and then pass perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 24 August 20 ...

References

External links

The Lifework of Albert G. Wilson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Albert George 1918 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American astronomers Discoverers of asteroids * Planetary scientists