Edward A. Halbach (April 5, 1909 – March 20, 2011) was an American

amateur astronomer Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers m ...

and prolific

variable star A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as ...

observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Computer science and information theory * In information theory, any system which receives information from an object * State observer in con ...

. He developed his interest in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

in 1933. One year later he became a member of the

American Association of Variable Star Observers The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international nonprofit organization, founded in 1911, focused on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving variable star observations made largely by amateur astronomers. ...

(AAVSO). He was also one of the first members of the

Milwaukee Astronomical Society The Milwaukee Astronomical Society (MAS) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization serving amateur astronomers in the greater Milwaukee area since 1932, making it one of the oldest continuously running astronomy clubs in the nation. The MAS operates a ...

and directed its observatory for 35 years. In 1947 he was elected the first official president of the

Astronomical League The Astronomical League is an umbrella organization of amateur astronomy societies. Currently their membership consists of over 280 organizations across the United States, along with a number of Members-at-Large, Patrons, and Supporting members. ...

. Besides his numerous variable star observations he was interested also in

solar astronomy The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared r ...

and

occultation An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden from the observer by another object that passes between them. The term is often used in astronomy, but can also refer to any situation in which an object in the foreground blocks ...

Acknowledgement

The Astronomical League awarded Edward Halbach with the Astronomical League Award in 1972. Halbach was the first living recipient of the Leslie C. Peltier Award in 1981 for his variable star and

lunar occultation An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden from the observer by another object that passes between them. The term is often used in astronomy, but can also refer to any situation in which an object in the foreground blocks ...

observations and contributions to artificial satellite programs. The American Association of Variable Star Observers honoured him with the

Merit Award The NIH MERIT award (Method To Extend Research in Time) Award (R37) was created by the National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary age ...

in 1988, for his record of more than 50,000 observations in the AAVSO International Database and for 54-year service in the society. He also won the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for his variable star and occultation observations in 1997. In 2003 he was awarded the

William Tyler Olcott Award William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

of the AAVSO, acknowledging him, among others, as a promoter of variable star observing and a mentor of amateur astronomers. By that time he contributed to the society's database with over 98,000 observations. The Milwaukee Astronomical Society named one of their two telescopes the "Edward A. Halbach Telescope" in his honour. On April 7, 2009 he celebrated his 100th birthday, a landmark that was noted on the NBC television program Today.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halbach, Edward A. Amateur astronomers 20th-century American astronomers 21st-century American astronomers 2011 deaths 1909 births American centenarians Men centenarians