Clark (redirected from Clarks)

Clark

1. Helen. born 1950, New Zealand politician; Labour prime minister from 1999

2. James, known as Jim. 1936--68, Scottish racing driver; World Champion (1963, 1965)

3. Kenneth, Baron Clark of Saltwood. 1903--83, English art historian: his books include Civilization (1969), which he first presented as a television series

4. William. 1770--1838, US explorer and frontiersman: best known for his expedition to the Pacific Northwest (1804--06) with Meriwether Lewis

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Clark 

a family of American opticians and amateur astronomers; including Alvan Clark (born Mar. 8, 1804, in Ashfield, Mass.; died Aug. 19, 1887, in Cambridge, Mass.) and his sons George (born in 1827; died in 1891) and Alvan Graham (born July 10, 1832, in Fall River, Mass.; died June 9, 1897, in Cambridge, Mass.).

The Clarks discovered many double stars, including the companion of Sirius. The Clarks’ largest refractors are in the U.S. Naval Observatory (refractor made in 1873; diameter of the objective, 66 cm), the Pulkovo Observatory (1885; diameter, 76 cm), the Lick Observatory (1888; diameter, 91 cm), and the Yerkes Observatory (1896; diameter, 102 cm).