+ Minor planets discovered: 99 see
Auguste Honoré Charlois (; November 26, 1864 – March 26, 1910) was a French astronomer who discovered 99 asteroids while working at the Nice Observatory in southeastern France.
Asteroid discovery His first discovery was the asteroid 267 Tirza in 1887. He photographed 433 Eros on the very night of its discovery by Gustav Witt, but was not able to act quickly enough before Witt announced his find.
Although he started searching for asteroids in the era of visual detection, by 1891 Max Wolf had pioneered the use of astrophotography to drastically speed up the rate of detection of asteroids. Both Wolf and Charlois separately discovered far more asteroids than would have been feasible by visual detection. In 1899, Charlois received the Prix Jules Janssen, the highest award of the Société astronomique de France, the French astronomical society. He was awarded the Valz Prize by the French Academy of Sciences in 1889 for his work on calculating asteroid orbits.
Murder
At the age of 45, he was murdered by Gabriel Brengues, the brother of his first wife, Jeanne Charlois and husband to the sister (Therese) of his second wife, Marie Brengues, over an inheritance by the death of Jeanne (née Brengues). The man was found guilty and given a life sentence of hard labor in New Caledonia.
Memorial The asteroid 1510 Charlois, discovered by André Patry at Nice Observatory in 1939, was named in his honour.
List of discovered minor planets
267 Tirza May 27, 1887 272 Antonia February 4, 1888 277 Elvira May 3, 1888 282 Clorinde January 28, 1889 283 Emma February 8, 1889 284 Amalia May 29, 1889 285 Regina August 3, 1889 289 Nenetta March 10, 1890 293 Brasilia May 20, 1890 294 Felicia July 15, 1890 296 Phaëtusa August 19, 1890 297 Caecilia September 9, 1890 298 Baptistina September 9, 1890 300 Geraldina October 3, 1890 302 Clarissa November 14, 1890 305 Gordonia February 16, 1891 307 Nike March 5, 1891 310 Margarita May 16, 1891 311 Claudia June 11, 1891 312 Pierretta August 28, 1891 314 Rosalia September 1, 1891 316 Goberta September 8, 1891 317 Roxane September 11, 1891 318 Magdalena September 24, 1891 319 Leona October 8, 1891 327 Columbia March 22, 1892 331 Etheridgea April 1, 1892 336 Lacadiera September 19, 1892 337 Devosa September 22, 1892 338 Budrosa September 25, 1892 344 Desiderata November 15, 1892 345 Tercidina November 23, 1892 346 Hermentaria November 25, 1892 347 Pariana November 28, 1892 348 May November 28, 1892 349 Dembowska December 9, 1892 350 Ornamenta December 14, 1892 354 Eleonora January 17, 1893 355 Gabriella January 20, 1893 356 Liguria January 21, 1893 357 Ninina February 11, 1893 358 Apollonia March 8, 1893 359 Georgia March 10, 1893 360 Carlova March 11, 1893 361 Bononia March 11, 1893 362 Havnia March 12, 1893 363 Padua March 17, 1893 364 Isara March 19, 1893 365 Corduba March 21, 1893 366 Vincentina March 21, 1893 367 Amicitia May 19, 1893 368 Haidea May 19, 1893 370 Modestia July 14, 1893 371 Bohemia July 16, 1893 372 Palma August 19, 1893 373 Melusina September 15, 1893 374 Burgundia September 18, 1893 375 Ursula September 18, 1893 376 Geometria September 18, 1893 377 Campania September 20, 1893 378 Holmia December 6, 1893 379 Huenna January 8, 1894 380 Fiducia January 8, 1894 381 Myrrha January 10, 1894 382 Dodona January 29, 1894 383 Janina January 29, 1894 388 Charybdis March 7, 1894 389 Industria March 8, 1894 395 Delia November 30, 1894 396 Aeolia December 1, 1894 397 Vienna December 19, 1894 398 Admete December 28, 1894 400 Ducrosa March 15, 1895 402 Chloë March 21, 1895 403 Cyane May 18, 1895 404 Arsinoë June 20, 1895 405 Thia July 23, 1895 406 Erna August 22, 1895 409 Aspasia December 9, 1895 410 Chloris January 7, 1896 411 Xanthe January 7, 1896 414 Liriope January 16, 1896 416 Vaticana May 4, 1896 423 Diotima December 7, 1896 424 Gratia December 31, 1896 425 Cornelia December 28, 1896 426 Hippo August 25, 1897 427 Galene August 27, 1897 429 Lotis November 23, 1897 430 Hybris December 18, 1897 431 Nephele December 18, 1897 432 Pythia December 18, 1897 437 Rhodia July 16, 1898 438 Zeuxo November 8, 1898 441 Bathilde December 8, 1898 451 Patientia December 4, 1899 453 Tea February 22, 1900 498 Tokio December 2, 1902 537 Pauly July 7, 1904
References
External links Laureats of the Prix Jules Janssen (1897–1979)