George Phillips Bond (May 20 1825 – February 17 1865) was an American astronomer. He was the son of William Cranch Bond. Some sources give his year of birth as 1826.
His early interest was in nature and birds, but after his elder brother William Cranch Bond Jr. died, he felt obligated to follow his father into the field of astronomy. He succeeded his father as director of Harvard College Observatory from 1859 until his death. His cousin was Edward Singleton Holden, first director of Lick Observatory.
He took the first photograph of a star in 1850 (Vega) and of a double star in 1857 (Mizar). He suggested photography could be used to measure a star's magnitude.
He discovered numerous comets and calculated their orbits. He studied Saturn and the Orion Nebula. He and his father jointly independently discovered Saturn's moon Hyperion (which was also independently discovered by William Lassell).
He also surveyed the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
He died of tuberculosis.
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Last updated: 08-25-2005 20:00:14
