Leslie Peltier
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Leslie Copus Peltier (January 2, 1900 – May 10, 1980) was an American amateur astronomer and discoverer of several comets and novae, including Nova Herculis 1963. He was once described as "the world's greatest non-professional astronomer" by Harlow Shapley.<ref>Star & Sky Magazine, Volume 2 (1980), p. 39</ref><ref name="springer">Template:Cite book</ref>
Biography
Leslie Copus Peltier was born in Delphos, Ohio. Delphos is located in northwestern Ohio in both Van Wert and Allen County. His homeplace was located on South Bredeick Street, and his home is still standing today. The home was known as Brookhaven. Peltier married Dorothy Nihiser in November 1933. An amateur astronomer, he was a prolific discoverer of comets and also a persistent observer of variable stars and member of the AAVSO. He was co-discoverer of 12 comets, 10 of which carry his name, and over a span of more than 60 years made more than 132,000 variable star observations.<ref name=delphos>Delphos astronomer Leslie Peltier’s prescription: One dose of starlight each clear night before retiring Template:Webarchive</ref>
He wrote the autobiographical Starlight Nights (Template:ISBN), which evokes the magic of stargazing in simpler days, on a farm and without light pollution.
Main-belt asteroid 3850 Peltier is named in his honor,<ref name="springer" /> as is the Leslie C. Peltier Award of the Astronomical League.
Publications
Peltier authored the following books:
- Starlight Nights: The Adventures of a Star-Gazer (1965);<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> also published in Japanese as Hoshi No Kuru Yoru (1985)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Guideposts to the Stars: Exploring the Skies Throughout the Year (1972);<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> also published in Dutch as Spectrum Sterrengids (1976)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and as Prisma Sterrengids (1979)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- The Place on Jennings Creek (1977)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Leslie Peltier's Guide to the Stars (1986)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- The Binocular Stargazer: A Beginner's Guide to Exploring the Sky (1995)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>