Anton Thraen
Encyclopedia
Anton Karl Thraen was a German
astronomer
and named two minor planet
s, 442 Eichsfeldia
and 443 Photographica
.
and went to Westfaeliche Wilhelms University in Münster
(1863–66), and the University of Paderborn
(1866–68) and learned theology. Already in Munster, he also knew mathematical and astronomical
lectures and helped at the observatory.
From 1883 up to his death, he worked as a minister in Dingelstädt. Here, he organised charitable collections for the development of the hospital
and the parish church. By night he often observed the sky with his telescope
, particularly working on the orbits of comet
s and minor planets, publishing his results in international technical periodicals.
Despite going blind
in his left eye
, this work was continued. He observed the short-period Comet III (Wolf) in 1884-85 with 950 observations and in 1891-92 with 681 observations, and calculated its orbit to forecast the third return. Thraen also discovered several new asteroids, which received the name "Eichsfeldia" and the name "Photographica" from Professor Wolf.
Thraen was honoured by the Prussian state
in 1900 with the award of the Roten-Adlerordens, IV class. Only in 1902 at a conference in Göttingen
did he become personally acquainted with many astronomers, with whom he had previously only been in contact with by post. In August of that year, he fell ill with incurable gastric trouble, and died on December 18, 1902.
Asteroid 4098 Thraen
, discovered by Dr. Börngen of the Karl-Schwarzschild-Observatorium in Tautenberg in 1987 is named for the Dingelstädter minister and astronomer. At his parents' house in Holungen in 1956, a plaque was attached in his memory. The city of Dingelstaedt has a street named after Thraen.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and named two minor planet
Minor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...
s, 442 Eichsfeldia
442 Eichsfeldia
442 Eichsfeldia is a large Main belt asteroid. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous material.It was discovered by Max Wolf and A...
and 443 Photographica
443 Photographica
443 Photographica is a typical Main belt asteroid. It is classified as an S-type asteroid.It was discovered by Max Wolf and A. Schwassmann on February 17, 1899 in Heidelberg....
.
Biography
Thraen was born on January 17, 1843 in Holungen, where he attended the elementary school at that time. In 1863, he completed his schooling in HeiligenstadtHeiligenstadt
Heiligenstadt may refer to several places:*Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Thuringia, Germany*Heiligenstadt i.OFr. , Bamberg , Bavaria, Germany*Heiligenstadt, Vienna, Austria*Heiligenstadt, part of Neuhaus in Kärnten, Carinthia, Austria...
and went to Westfaeliche Wilhelms University in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
(1863–66), and the University of Paderborn
University of Paderborn
The University of Paderborn in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany was founded in 1972. 15,228 students were enrolled at the university as of December 2010....
(1866–68) and learned theology. Already in Munster, he also knew mathematical and astronomical
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
lectures and helped at the observatory.
From 1883 up to his death, he worked as a minister in Dingelstädt. Here, he organised charitable collections for the development of the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
and the parish church. By night he often observed the sky with his telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
, particularly working on the orbits of comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s and minor planets, publishing his results in international technical periodicals.
Despite going blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
in his left eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
, this work was continued. He observed the short-period Comet III (Wolf) in 1884-85 with 950 observations and in 1891-92 with 681 observations, and calculated its orbit to forecast the third return. Thraen also discovered several new asteroids, which received the name "Eichsfeldia" and the name "Photographica" from Professor Wolf.
Thraen was honoured by the Prussian state
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in 1900 with the award of the Roten-Adlerordens, IV class. Only in 1902 at a conference in Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
did he become personally acquainted with many astronomers, with whom he had previously only been in contact with by post. In August of that year, he fell ill with incurable gastric trouble, and died on December 18, 1902.
Asteroid 4098 Thraen
4098 Thraen
4098 Thraen is an outer main-belt asteroid discovered on November 26, 1987 by Freimut Börngen at Karl Schwarzschild Observatory.- External links :*...
, discovered by Dr. Börngen of the Karl-Schwarzschild-Observatorium in Tautenberg in 1987 is named for the Dingelstädter minister and astronomer. At his parents' house in Holungen in 1956, a plaque was attached in his memory. The city of Dingelstaedt has a street named after Thraen.