Frederick Leonard
The astronomer who co-founded the Meteoritical Society in 1933 and built the meteorite collection at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Key facts
- Born
- 1896
- Died
- 1960
- Nationality
- American
- Field
- Astronomer
Frederick Charles Leonard was a keen astronomer from childhood; as a teenager in Chicago he founded a society for young astronomers. He studied double stars and in 1922 began teaching at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he started its astronomy department.
Leonard became fascinated by meteorites and began building a collection for the university. In December 1933, with Harvey Nininger, he founded the Society for Research on Meteorites, which in 1946 became the Meteoritical Society. It has grown into the international body for the science of meteorites, organising meetings, publishing research and, through its committees, approving the names and classifications of new meteorites.
Leonard was also an enthusiastic organiser of the details. He proposed a system for giving each meteorite locality exact coordinates, published catalogues of meteorite falls, and suggested standard terms that helped scientists describe meteorites in the same way.
The Meteoritical Society's highest honour, the Leonard Medal, has been awarded in his name since 1962. The meteorite collection he began at UCLA is one of the largest university collections in the world.
On the timeline
- December 1933The Meteoritical Society is founded