Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld (; 21 October 1921 – 30 March 2015) was a Dutch
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 ...
.
Background
In a jointly credited trio with
Tom Gehrels
Anton M.J. "Tom" Gehrels (February 21, 1925 – July 11, 2011) was a Dutch–American astronomer, Professor of Planetary Sciences, and Astronomer at the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Biography
Youth and education
Gehrels was born at Haa ...
and her husband
Cornelis Johannes van Houten
Cornelis Johannes van Houten (18 February 1920 – 24 August 2002) was a Dutch astronomer, sometimes referred to as Kees van Houten.
Early life and education
Born in The Hague, he spent his entire career at Leiden University except for a brief pe ...
, she was the discoverer of many thousands 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 (credited by the
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Function
...
with the discovery of 4,641 numbered minor planets).
In the
Palomar–Leiden survey
The Palomar–Leiden survey (PLS) was a successful astronomical survey to study faint minor planets in a collaboration between the U.S Palomar Observatory and the Dutch Leiden Observatory, and resulted in the discovery of thousands of asteroids, ...
, Gehrels took the images using the
48-inch Schmidt telescope 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 shipped the
photographic plate
Photographic plates preceded photographic film as a capture medium in photography, and were still used in some communities up until the late 20th century. The light-sensitive emulsion of silver salts was coated on a glass plate, typically thinn ...
s to the van Houtens at
Leiden Observatory
Leiden Observatory ( nl, Sterrewacht Leiden) is an astronomical institute of Leiden University, in the Netherlands. Established in 1633 to house the quadrant of Rudolph Snellius, it is the oldest operating university observatory in the world, with ...
, who analyzed them for new asteroids. The trio are jointly credited with several thousand asteroid discoveries. Van Houten-Groeneveld died on 30 March 2015, at the age of 93, in
Oegstgeest
Oegstgeest () is a town and municipality in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. Its population was in .
Etymology
The portion ''geest'' in the name refers to the geest lands, which were excavated in the seventeenth cent ...
, Netherlands.
The
Themistian main-belt asteroid
1674 Groeneveld
Events January–March
* January 2 – The French West India Company is dissolved after less than 10 years.
* January 7 – In the Chinese Empire, General Wu Sangui leads troops into the Giuzhou province, and soon takes cont ...
– discovered by
Karl Reinmuth
Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth (4 April 1892 in Heidelberg – 6 May 1979 in Heidelberg) was a German astronomer and a prolific discoverer of 395 minor planets.
Scientific career
From 1912 to 1957, Reinmuth was working as an astronomer at the Lande ...
at Heidelberg and independently discovered by Finnish astronomer
Yrjö Väisälä
Yrjö Väisälä (; 6 September 1891 – 21 July 1971) was a Finnish astronomer and physicist.
His main contributions were in the field of optics. He was also active in geodetics, astronomy and optical metrology. He had an affectionate nick ...
in 1938, was named in her honor ().
Publications
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References
External links
I. van Houten-Groeneveld home pageSymposium 85e verjaardagof 4 November 2006 (in Dutch)
2005 Annual report of the Leiden Observatory see page 6.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houten-Groeneveld, Ingrid van
1921 births
2015 deaths
21st-century Dutch astronomers
20th-century women scientists
Discoverers of asteroids
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20th-century Dutch astronomers
Dutch women scientists
Leiden University faculty
Scientists from Berlin
Women astronomers