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Edgar Everhart III (1920–1990)

Everhart was director of the University of Denver’s Chamberlin Observatory. He was best known for his work on comets and photographic techniques.

Published onNov 22, 2022
Edgar Everhart III (1920–1990)
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Figure 1

Photograph by John Biggs.

Edgar Everhart, III, pictured here at the site of his observatory near Bailey, Colorado, died on Sunday, January 14, 1990 following a long illness. He was 69.

A professional astronomer with the heart of an amateur, Edgar Everhart III was director of the University of Denver’s Chamberlin Observatory. Everhart began his career as a physicist at the University of Connecticut, where he did pioneering work in high-velocity atomic collisions. He built much of his research equipment himself.

At the dawn of the Space Age his interest turned to astronomy and telescope making. In 1964 and again in 1966, he visually discovered comets from his home observatory. His landmark study of comet discoveries sent several generations of comet seekers out under the predawn sky to search the richest hunting grounds.

In 1969 Everhart took a position as professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Denver. There he became involved in astrometry of comets. Everhart was one of the first to exploit the potential of gas-hypered Kodak 2415 film for astronomical photography. Over the years he contributed many articles to Sky & Telescope on topics ranging from astrophotography and astrometry to telescope making and observing.

Adapted and reproduced with permission from Sky & Telescope (May 1990, p. 559), a publication of the AAS.

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