Frank Washington Very
Frank Washington Very was a U.S. astronomer, astrophysicist, and meteorologist. He was born at Salem, Massachusetts, and educated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he taught physics after his graduation.
He worked at the Allegheny Observatory from 1878 until 1895. In 1890 he became a professor and chair of astronomy at Western University of Pittsburgh. He then was professor and acting director of the Ladd Observatory at Brown University from 1896 to 1897. He worked as an independent researcher until 1906 when he was appointed director of the Westwood Astrophysical Observatory.
His most important work was in measuring the temperature of the surfaces of the Moon and other planets using a bolometer. Samuel Pierpont Langley published in 1890 a widely read paper on the Moon observations, but for unknown reasons omitted Very's name from the list of authors. In 1891, Very published his own paper about the "Distribution of the Moon's Heat," which also included measurements taken during a lunar eclipse.
Infrared observations by Langley and Very, published in 1890, were used to make the first calculations of the greenhouse effect.
Very crater on Mars and Very crater on the Moon are named in his honor.Published works
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