Royal Harwood Frost

Royal Harwood Frost, born on February twenty-fifth, eighteen seventy-nine, in Salem, Massachusetts, was an influential American astronomer. He was the fourth son in a large family of ten, born to Albinus Finney Frost and Emma Jane Richardson. His early life laid the foundation for a career that would see him make significant contributions to the field of astronomy.

Frost's professional journey began at the Harvard College Observatory, where he served as an astronomical assistant from eighteen ninety-six to nineteen oh-eight under the esteemed Edward Charles Pickering. His work at the observatory included a notable period from nineteen oh-two to nineteen oh-five at the Arequipa station in Peru, where he utilized the impressive twenty-four inch f/5.6 Bruce photographic refractor, crafted by Alvan Clark & Sons.

During his time in Peru, Frost made remarkable observations of nebulae, following in the footsteps of DeLisle Stewart. His findings, which included the discovery of four hundred fifty-four new celestial objects, were published in the Harvard Annals in nineteen oh-eight. These discoveries were later included in the Second Index Catalogue of Nebulae, a significant contribution to the astronomical community.

After his tenure at the observatory, Frost transitioned to a different path, starting a dairy farm in Tingo, Peru. He eventually returned to the United States, where he worked in accounting for an oil company in Fort Worth, Texas, before relocating to Shreveport, Louisiana. Royal Harwood Frost's life came to a close in Shreveport, where he is interred at the Forest Park Cemetery.