Editing Lewis Boss

{{short description|American astronomer (1846–1912)}}
{{Infobox scientist
|name              = Lewis Boss
|image             = PSM V81 D625 Lewis Boss.png
|image_size        = 
|caption           =
|birth_date        = {{birth date|1846|10|26|df=yes}}
|birth_place       = [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]], [[Rhode Island]]
|death_date        = {{death date and age|1912|10|05|1846|10|26|df=yes}}
|death_place       = [[Albany, New York]]
|residence         = 
|citizenship       = 
|nationality       = [[United States|American]]
|ethnicity         = 
|field             = [[Astronomy]]
|work_institutions = [[Dudley Observatory]]
|doctoral_advisor  = 
|doctoral_students = 
|known_for         = [[Star catalog|compilation]]<br/>[[Hyades (star cluster)|Hyades]] [[star cluster]]
|author_abbrev_bot = 
|author_abbrev_zoo = 
|influences        = 
|influenced        = 
|prizes            = [[Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society]]<br>[[Lalande Prize]] <small>(1911)</small>
|parents           = Samuel P. Boss<br>Lucinda (Joslin) Boss
|spouse            = Helen M. Hutchinson Boss
|children          = [[Benjamin Boss]]
|relations         =
|alma_mater        = [[Dartmouth College]]
|footnotes         = 
|signature         = Signature of Lewis Boss.png
}}

'''Lewis Boss''' (26 October 1846 &ndash; 5 October 1912) was an American [[astronomer]]. He served as the director of the [[Dudley Observatory]] in [[Schenectady]], [[New York (state)|New York]].

==Early life==
Boss was born in [[Providence, Rhode Island]] to Samuel P. and Lucinda (née Joslin) Boss,<ref>{{cite book |title=The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers |last=Hockey |first=Thomas |year=2009 |publisher=[[Springer Publishing]] |isbn=978-0-387-31022-0 |accessdate=August 22, 2012 |url=http://www.springerreference.com/docs/html/chapterdbid/58189.html}}</ref> and attended secondary school at the [[Lapham Institute]] in [[Scituate, Rhode Island|North Scituate]]<ref>{{cite book|last=American Educational Company|title=The American Educational Review, Volume 34|date=1913|publisher=American Educational Company|page=114|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kO0-AQAAMAAJ&q=Lewis+Boss+smithville+seminary&pg=PA114}}</ref> and the [[New Hampton Institution]] in [[New Hampshire]].<ref>[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_XG0iAAAAMAAJ Andrew Van Vranken Raymond, ''Union University: Its History, Influence, Characteristics and...'' Lewis Publishing Co. (1907), 2.]</ref> In 1870, he graduated from [[Dartmouth College]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Hockey|first=Thomas|title=Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers|date=2007|publisher=Springer|page=153|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t-BF1CHkc50C&q=Lewis+Boss+Dartmouth+College&pg=PA153|isbn=9780387304007}}</ref> then went to work as a [[clerk (position)|clerk]] for the [[U.S. Government]].

==Career==
He served as an assistant astronomer for a government expedition to [[surveying|survey]] the [[United States|U.S]]-[[Canada–United States border|Canada–United States]] border. In 1876 he became the directory of the [[Dudley Observatory]] in Schenectady, New York.<ref>{{cite book|last=American Educational Company|title=The American Educational Review, Volume 34|date=1913|publisher=American Educational Company|page=114|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kO0-AQAAMAAJ&q=Lewis+Boss+smithville+seminary&pg=PA114}}</ref>

Boss is noted for his work in cataloguing the locations and [[proper motion]]s of stars. He also led an expedition to [[Chile]] in 1882 to observe the [[Astronomical transit|transit]] of [[Venus]], and catalogued information concerning [[comet]]ary [[orbit]]s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gregersen|first=Erik|title=The Universe: A Historical Survey of Beliefs, Theories, and Laws|date=2009|publisher=[[The Rosen Publishing Group]]|page=141|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4jbAzk3HR6gC&q=astronomer+benjamin+boss+albany+ny&pg=PA141|isbn=9781615300266}}</ref> He was elected to the United States [[National Academy of Sciences]] in 1889.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lewis Boss |url=https://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/deceased-members/20001766.html |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=www.nasonline.org}}</ref> His most significant discovery was the calculation of the convergent point of the [[Hyades (star cluster)|Hyades]] [[star cluster]]. He was awarded the [[Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society]] in 1905.

He became editor of the ''[[Astronomical Journal]]'' in 1909, and the following year published ''Preliminary General Catalogue of 6188 Stars for the Epoch 1900'', a [[Star catalog|compilation]] of the proper motions of stars. He was elected to both the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] and the [[American Philosophical Society]] in 1911.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-09 |title=Lewis Boss |url=https://www.amacad.org/person/lewis-boss |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=American Academy of Arts & Sciences |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=APS Member History |url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Lewis+Boss&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref> Following his death, responsibility for the ''Astronomical Journal'' passed to his son, [[Benjamin Boss]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Gregersen|first=Erik|title=The Universe: A Historical Survey of Beliefs, Theories, and Laws|date=2009|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|page=141|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4jbAzk3HR6gC&q=astronomer+benjamin+boss+albany+ny&pg=PA141|isbn=9781615300266}}</ref> Benjamin continued to edit the journal until 1941 and also expanded his father's star catalogue, publishing the ''[[Boss General Catalogue]]'' in 1936.<ref>{{cite book|last=Angelo|first=Joseph A.|title=Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy|date=2009|publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]]|page=96|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VUWno1sOwnUC&q=astronomer+benjamin+boss+died+1970&pg=PA96|isbn=9781438110189}}</ref>

==Death and legacy==
Boss died on October 5. 1912 in [[Albany, New York]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Dartmouth College|title=General catalogue of Dartmouth college and the associated institutions: including the officers of government and instruction, graduates and all others who have received honorary degrees|date=1890|publisher=Dartmouth College|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3ElOAAAAMAAJ/page/n85 72]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3ElOAAAAMAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Boss|first=Benjamin|title=Biographical Memoir of Lewis Boss, 1846-1912|date=1920|publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences]]|page=239|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G9cWAAAAYAAJ&q=buried&pg=PA239}}</ref> The [[Moon]] crater [[Boss (crater)|Boss]] is named in his honor.<ref>{{cite book|last=Greeley|first=Ronald and Batson, Raymond|title=The Compact NASA Atlas of the Solar System|date=2001|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/compactnasaatlas0000gree/page/363 363]|url=https://archive.org/details/compactnasaatlas0000gree|url-access=registration|isbn=9780521806336}}</ref>

==Family life==
Boss married Helen M. Hutchinson on December 30, 1871. Their son [[Benjamin Boss]] was also a noted astronomer.<ref>{{cite book|last=Boss|first=Benjamin|title=Biographical Memoir of Lewis Boss, 1846-1912|date=1920|publisher=National Academy of Sciences|page=239|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G9cWAAAAYAAJ&q=buried&pg=PA239}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[Boss General Catalogue]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* ''Much of this article was based on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20040817012926/http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/History/history_lewis_boss.htm Dudley Observatory history] of Lewis Boss.''

== External links == <!-- for current and future use if material is uploaded -->
* ''Preliminary General Catalogue of 6188 Stars for the Epoch 1900'' {{bibcode|1910Sci....32..155C}}
* [http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/boss-lewis.pdf National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140326025356/http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/History/history_boss_lewis.htm Dudley Observatory]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boss, Lewis}}
[[Category:1846 births]]
[[Category:1912 deaths]]
[[Category:Corresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:American astronomers]]
[[Category:Scientists from Schenectady, New York]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society]]
[[Category:People from Providence, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Dartmouth College alumni]]
[[Category:Scientists from Albany, New York]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Lalande Prize]]
[[Category:The Astronomical Journal editors]]
[[Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society]]


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