Dinsmore Alter

Dinsmore Alter (March 28, 1888 – September 20, 1968) was an American astronomer, meteorologist, and United States Army officer. He is known for his work with the Griffith Observatory and his creation of a lunar atlas.

Early life He was born in Colfax, Washington, and attended college at Westminster College in Pennsylvania. After graduating in 1909 with a B.S. degree, he married Ada McClelland. The couple had one child, Helen.

Career Dinsmore performed his graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, and earned a master's in astronomy with additional studies in the field of meteorology. In 1911, he became an instructor at the University of Alabama, teaching physics and astronomy. The following year he became an assistant professor, then an adjunct professor in 1913.

From 1925 until 1927, he served as the vice-president of the American Meteorological Society.

However, he remained active during his retirement, writing several books on astronomy and performing consulting services. He also served as Director Emeritus for the Griffith Observatory.

He can be seen as a contestant on the 1st January 1953 edition of You Bet Your Life.

Awards and honors Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. Guggenheim Fellowship scholarship, 1929–1930. Honorary doctorate, Monmouth College, 1941. G. Bruce Blair Award, 1958. Pendray Aerospace Literature Award, 1965. The crater Alter on the Moon is named after him.

Selected works Alter, Dinsmore. Application of Marvin's Periodocrite to Rainfall Periodicity. Lawrence, Kan: University of Kansas, 1920. Alter, Dinsmore. "A Critical Test of the Planetary Hypothesis of Sun Spots," Monthly Weather Review, 1929, April. Alter, Dinsmore, & Clarence H. Cleminshaw, "Palomar observatory", Los Angeles, Griffith Observatory. Alter, Dinsmore. Introduction to Practical Astronomy, New York, Crowell, 1933. Alter, Dinsmore. Introduction to the Moon, Los Angeles, Griffith Observatory, 1958. Alter, Dinsmore. Pictorial Guide to the Moon, London, Arthur Barker Ltd., 1963. Alter, Dinsmore. Lunar Atlas, North American Aviation, 1964. Alter, Dinsmore, Clarence H. Cleminshaw, and John G. Phillips, Pictorial astronomy, New York, Crowell, 1974.