Willem Hendrik van den Bos (September 25, 1896, Rotterdam – March 30, 1974) was a Dutch-South African astronomer. At least one source refers to him as Van der Bos, but this seems to be an error.
He initially worked at Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, but came to Union Observatory in South Africa in 1925, becoming director in 1941.
He discovered thousands of double stars and recorded tens of thousands of micrometer measurements of such stars, calculating the orbits of a number of binary stars.
He was president of the Astronomical Society of South Africa in 1943 and 1955.
Some biographical sources say he discovered more than a hundred asteroids; however the Minor Planet Center does not credit him with any asteroid discoveries.
The asteroid 1663 van den Bos is named after him, as is the lunar crater van den Bos.
Famous quotes containing the words van and/or den:
“It is not a certain conformity of manners that the painting of Van Gogh attacks, but rather the conformity of institutions themselves. And even external nature, with her climates, her tides, and her equinoctial storms, cannot, after van Gogh’s stay upon earth, maintain the same gravitation.”
—Antonin Artaud (1896–1948)
“Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.””
—Bible: New Testament, Luke 19:45,46.