Astronomer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He worked at Birr Castle, Ireland, then became director of Armagh Observatory. He produced the standard catalogue on star clusters, nebulas, and galaxies, the New General Catalogue (NGC), which is still in use today.
John Louis Emil Dreyer (February 13, 1852 – September 14, 1926) was a Danish-Irish astronomer.
He was born Johan Ludvig Emil Dreyer in Copenhagen. In 1874, at the age of 22, he went to Ireland to work as the assistant of Lord Rosse (the son and successor of the Lord Rosse who built the "Leviathan of Parsonstown" telescope).
His major contribution was the monumental New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars, whose catalogue numbers are still in wide use today, as well as two supplementary Index Catalogues.
Dreyer was also a historian of astronomy. History of the Planetary Systems from Thales to Kepler (1905), his survey of the history of astronomy, while dated in some respects, is still a sound introduction to the subject.
He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1916.
User Comments Add a comment…