Jean-Louis Pons 443265 189830890 2008-02-07T22:51:16Z 84.220.118.73 + '''Jean-Louis Pons''' ([[December 24]], [[1761]] – [[October 14]], [[1831]]) was a [[France|French]] [[astronomer]]. Between [[1801]] and [[1827]] Pons discovered thirty-seven [[comet]]s, more than any other person in history. He discovered four periodic comets, two of which, [[7P/Pons-Winnecke]] and [[12P/Pons-Brooks]], bear his name. One observed on [[November 26]], [[1818]] was named [[Comet Encke]] after [[Johann Franz Encke]], who calculated its orbit and its remarkably short period. Pons also co-discovered the comet formerly known as "Pons-Coggia-Winnecke-Forbes" and today known as [[27P/Crommelin]] after [[Andrew Crommelin]], who calculated its orbit. Pons was born at [[Peyre]] ([[Hautes-Alpes]]). He entered the [[Marseille]] observatory in [[1789]] and in [[1819]] became the director of the new observatory at Marlia near [[Lucca]], which he left in [[1825]] to teach astronomy at [[La Specola]], in [[Florence]]. Pons received the [[French Academy of Sciences]]'s [[Lalande Prize]] in [[1818]] for his discovery of three comets in that year. ==References== *{{1911}} ==External links== * [http://www-obs.cnrs-mrs.fr/patrimoine/pons-roemer.html Biographical info] {{DEFAULTSORT:Pons, Jean-Louis}} [[Category:1761 births]] [[Category:1831 deaths]] [[Category:People from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] [[Category:French astronomers]] [[de:Jean-Louis Pons]] [[fr:Jean-Louis Pons]] [[lb:Jean-Louis Pons]] [[it:Jean-Louis Pons]] [[ja:ジャン=ルイ・ポン]] [[nds:Jean-Louis Pons]] [[pl:Jean-Louis Pons]]