Delphos in Van Wert County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Leslie C. Peltier
Photographed By Duane Hall, October 1, 2013
1. Leslie C. Peltier Marker
A farm boy with a tenth grade education, Leslie Peltier, born near Delphos in 1900, achieved fame as one of the most famous astronomers of the twentieth century. In 1916, he raised $18 dollars by picking 900 quarts of strawberries on his father's farm in order to purchase his first telescope. His stargazing abilities led Harvard Observatory's Dr. Harlow Shapley to proclaim him "the world's greatest non-professional astronomer." During his 65 years of stargazing, Leslie Peltier discovered 12 comets and two novae and made 132,000 variable star observations. Peltier made his discoveries on his homemade "merry-go-round" observatory that rotated on a child's merry-go-round track and housed the optics from a 6-inch, f/8 telescope on loan from Princeton University. To recognize his achievements, the Astronomical League created the annual Leslie C. Peltier Award in 1980 to recognize an amateur astronomer who contributed to astronomy observations of lasting significance.Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, the Longaberger Company, People of Delphos, and the Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number
Photographed By Duane Hall, October 1, 2013
2. Leslie C. Peltier Marker
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 40° 50.615′ N, 84° 20.555′ W. Marker is in Delphos, Ohio, in Van Wert County. Marker is at the intersection of W. Second Street and N. Jefferson Street, on the left when traveling west on W. Second Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 309 W Second Street, Delphos OH 45833, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Vietnam War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans War Mamemorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Persian Gulf War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Delphos (approx. 0.2 miles away); Quarried Rock (approx. 0.2 miles away); 09.11.2001 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jacob Dienstberger Historic House (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Delphos.
Also see . . . Leslie C. Peltier - American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). (Submitted on October 3, 2013.)
Photographed By Duane Hall, October 1, 2013
3. Leslie C. Peltier Marker
Photographed By Duane Hall, October 1, 2013
4. Sundial Monument to Leslie C. Peltier
Credits. This page was last revised on June 10, 2018. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 878 times since then and 18 times this year. Last updated on May 24, 2018, by Michael Baker of Lima, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 3, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
