Robert Grant Aitken

Robert Grant Aitken (December 31 1864 – October 29 1951) was an American astronomer.

Related Topics:
December 31 - 1864 - October 29 - 1951 - Astronomer

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He worked at Lick Observatory. He systematically studied double stars, measuring their positions and calculating their orbits around one another. He methodically created a very large catalog of such stars, with the orbit information enabling astronomers to calculate stellar mass statistics for a large number of stars.

Related Topics:
Lick Observatory - Double stars

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Aitken also measured positions and computed orbits for comets and natural satellites of planets.

Related Topics:
Comet - Natural satellite - Planets

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Aitken was partly deaf and used a hearing aid. He married Jessie Thomas around 1888, and had three sons and one daughter. His grandson, Robert Baker Aitken, is a widely-known Zen Buddhist teacher and author.

Related Topics:
Deaf - Hearing aid - 1888 - Robert Baker Aitken - Zen - Buddhist

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