{{Short description|American astronomer}} {{Infobox scientist |name = Benjamin Boss |image = |image_size = |caption = |birth_date = {{birth date|1880|01|09|df=yes}} |birth_place = Albany, New York |death_date = {{death date and age|1970|10|17|1880|01|09|df=yes}} |death_place = Albany, New York |residence = |citizenship = |ethnicity = |field = Astronomy |work_institutions = Dudley Observatory<br>U. S. Naval Observatory<br>Carnegie Institution of Washington |alma_mater = The Albany Academy<br>Harvard University |doctoral_advisor = |doctoral_students = |known_for = |author_abbrev_bot = |author_abbrev_zoo = |influences = |influenced = |prizes = |parents = Lewis Boss<br>Helen M. (Hutchinson) Boss |spouse = |children = |relations = |religion = |footnotes = |signature = }}
'''Benjamin Boss''' (January 9, 1880 – October 17, 1970) was an American astronomer. He served as the director of both the Dudley Observatory in Schenectady, New York and the Department of Meridian Astrometry of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
==Biography== Boss was born in Albany, New York to astronomer Lewis Boss and Helen M. (Hutchinson) Boss.<ref>{{cite book|last=Boss|first=Benjami|title=Biographical Memoir of Lewis Boss, 1846-1912|date=1920|publisher=National Academy of Sciences|page=240|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G9cWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA239 }}</ref> After attending The Albany Academy, he graduated from Harvard University in 1901 and worked at Dudley Observatory until 1905.<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&pg=PA153 |isbn=9780387304007}}</ref> Following a year at the U. S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., he became director of the U.S. Naval Observatory at Samoa and helped organized the expedition to Flint Island to observe the 1908 solar eclipse.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/History/history_boss_benjamin.htm |title= Benjamin Boss |publisher= Dudley Observatory |accessdate= March 25, 2014 |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140326025256/http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/History/history_boss_benjamin.htm |archivedate= March 26, 2014 }}</ref> He served as director from 1906 to 1908.<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/58188.html}}</ref>
He joined the Department of Meridian Astrometry of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in 1908, working as a secretary until 1912 when he became acting director. In 1915, he became director of the department. He also served as director of Dudley Observatory from 1912 to 1956.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/History/history.htm|title= History of the Dudley Observatory|publisher= Dudley Observatory|accessdate= March 25, 2014|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150210133746/http://dudleyobservatory.org/History/history.htm|archivedate= February 10, 2015}}</ref> His primary work was in positional astronomy, particularly in the positions and motions of the stars.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/History/history_boss_benjamin.htm |title= Benjamin Boss |publisher= Dudley Observatory |accessdate= March 25, 2014 |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140326025256/http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/History/history_boss_benjamin.htm |archivedate= March 26, 2014 }}</ref>
His father served as editor of the ''Astronomical Journal'' from 1909 until his death 1912, whereupon Benjamin undertook the duty until 1941.<ref>{{cite book|last=American Institute of Physics|title=The Astronomical Journal, Volume 28|date=1915|publisher=American Institute of Physics|page=17|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpYRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA16 }}</ref> In 1936 his ''General Catalogue of 33,342 Stars'' was published by the Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC. This publication replaced the ''Preliminary General Catalogue of 6,188 stars'' of Lewis Boss, and it became known as the ''Boss General Catalogue''. (Star designations that began with GC are from this catalogue.)<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&pg=PA96 |isbn=9781438110189}}</ref>
Boss died on October 17, 1970, in Albany, New York.<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&pg=PA153 |isbn=9780387304007}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Bibliography== * {{cite book | author=Benjamin Boss | year=1936 | title=General Catalogue of 33342 stars for the epoch 1950 | edition=1st | publisher=Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication | location=Washington, D.C. | bibcode=1936gcts.book.....B |display-authors=etal}} * {{cite web | last=Boss | first=Benjamin | year=2007 | url=http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/History/history_boss_benjamin.htm | title=Benjamin Boss | publisher=Dudley Observatory | accessdate=2007-07-23 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326025256/http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/History/history_boss_benjamin.htm | archivedate=2014-03-26 }}
==External links== * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Benjamin Boss |sopt=t}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boss, Benjamin}} Category:1880 births Category:1970 deaths Category:Harvard University alumni Category:American astronomers Category:Scientists from Albany, New York Category:Scientists from New York (state) Category:The Albany Academy alumni Category:The Astronomical Journal editors Category:20th-century American people