Delphos in Allen County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Leslie C. Peltier

By Duane Hall, October 1, 2013

1. Leslie C. Peltier Marker

Inscription. 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 5-81.)

Marker series. This marker is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection marker series.

Location.

By Duane Hall, October 1, 2013

2. Leslie C. Peltier Marker

In front of the Delphos Public Library

40° 50.615′ N, 84° 20.555′ W. Marker is in Delphos, Ohio, in Allen 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Miami and Erie Canal / Delphos (approx. ¼ mile away); Miami and Erie Canal (approx. 0.9 miles away); Fort Jennings (approx. 4.7 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Jennings (approx. 4.9 miles away); a different marker also named The Miami and Erie Canal (approx. 6.3 miles away); Anthony Wayne's March Across Van Wert County / Venedocia Village (approx. 7.4 miles away); Venedocia War Memorial (approx. 7.4 miles away); 105 Howitzer Anti-tank Gun (approx. 7.4 miles 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.)

Categories. • Air & Space • Science & Medicine •

By Duane Hall, October 1, 2013

3. Leslie C. Peltier Marker

Nearby is a sundial monument to Leslie C. Peltier

Sundial Monument to Leslie C. Peltier image. Click for full size.

By Duane Hall, October 1, 2013

4. Sundial Monument to Leslie C. Peltier

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on October 3, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 557 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 3, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.