Benjamin Valz

Jean Elias Benjamin Valz ( born May 27, 1787 Nîmes, † April 22, 1867 ) was a French astronomer.

Valz initially received training as an engineer, but later turned to astronomy. He observed and calculated in particular the orbit of the comet.

In 1835 he put forward the hypothesis that the observed perturbations of Halley's comet is caused by the gravity of a planet beyond Uranus. The planet Neptune was not yet discovered.

Valz built a private observatory at his home in Nimes. When he took over the post of Director of the Observatory of Marseilles, he left his house the young astronomer A. Laurent, who discovered from there the asteroid (51 ) Nemausa.

Valz was at times seen as the discoverer of two asteroids: (20 ) Massalia and (25) Phocaea. Their discovery, however, now the Italian Annibale de Paris or gas Valz ' colleague Jean Chacornac attributed.