Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke
Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke (born February 5, 1835 in Groß Heere near Hanover , † December 3, 1897 in Bonn ) was a German astronomer .
After completing his studies, Winnecke was initially an assistant at the Berlin observatory and between 1858 and 1867 deputy director of the Pulkowa observatory . After that he lived for a long time as a private citizen in Karlsruhe . When the new German University of Strasbourg was founded, Winnecke became professor of astronomy there .
Despite the very limited funds in the early days of the institute, the old observatory under the direction of Winnecke soon achieved a high reputation. The observatory, built according to his plans, became one of the best facilities for astronomical research in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.
Winnecke played an essential part in the expedition sent by Germany to observe the Venus passages in 1874, for which he directed all preparatory work and also carried out a large part of the calculations of the results himself. His own observations related in particular to the variables , to nebulae ( galaxies ) and comets . He discovered a total of 10 comets, including comet 7P / Pons-Winnecke .
In 1874 he was elected a member of the Leopoldina . Since 1879 he was a corresponding member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences . He was a member of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Doctors .
Winnecke finally had to give up his position for health reasons in 1886. August Winnecke died on December 3, 1897 in Bonn.
In 2010 the asteroid (215423) Winnecke was named after him.
Web links
- Publications by A. Winnecke in the Astrophysics Data System
- NN: Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 58 (1898), pp. 155–159 (obituary, English)
- A. Auwers: Notice of death. Astronomische Nachrichten, Vol. 145 (1897), p. 161 (obituary)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Member entry of August Winnecke at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on December 28, 2015.
- ↑ Members of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Doctors 1857
- ↑ Newspaper article: Memories of August Winnecke, famous astronomer born in Groß Heere, Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung June 7, 2008
- ↑ Minor Planet Circ. 69495
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Winnecke, Friedrich August Theodor |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 5, 1835 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Large armies near Hanover |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 3, 1897 |
| Place of death | Bonn |