Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues
Encyclopedia
Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues (29 March 1827, Hofgeismar
– 28 January 1884, Göttingen
) was a German astronomer
.
, the son of army doctor Johann Reinhard Klinkerfues and his wife Sabine. After the early death of his parents, he was brought up by relatives, and after attending high school qualified as a surveyor in Kassel
. In this capacity he subsequently worked on the new Frankfurt
- Kassel railway.
From 1847 to 1851 Klinkerfues studied mathematics and astronomy at the University of Marburg
. He then became an assistant to Carl Friedrich Gauss
at Göttingen Observatory
, where he completed his Ph.D. with a thesis on orbit calculations of double stars. After Gauss' death in 1855, the mathematician W. E. Weber replaced him as director, but Klinkerfues was to be temporarily responsible for the observatory from 1861.
Klinkerfues discovered 6 comets, and in 1860 led an expedition to Spain
to observe a solar eclipse
. He was finally appointed "director for practical astronomy" at Göttingen in 1868. However, the role of Klinkerfues' section of the observatory was solely to deal with practical work, the theoretical work being placed in the hands of Ernst Schering
. Klinkerfues was, like his predecessor, allowed to live in the eastern wing of the observatory, but the division of the observatory's organisation between the two teams was to be a source of constant conflict.
In his 1871 book Theoretische Astronomie Klinkerfues described how the orbits of celestial bodies in the solar system could be calculated. In the same period he compiled a catalogue of around 6900 observed stars.
Klinkerfues also had an abiding interest in meteorology
, developing a hygrometer
, patented in 1877, that was later manufactured in Göttingen by Wilhelm Lambrecht. His weather forecasts, published in newspapers, proved to be often incorrect, which led to them cruelly parodying his last name as "Flunkerkies". Undeterred by this criticism, he published a book on the hygrometer's use in 1875, and developed a detonator for use in Göttingen's gas street lighting. He also continued to supervise doctoral students, one of whom was Hermann Kobold
.
Klinkerfues was plagued by debt for much of his life, exacerbated by ill-advised business ventures. He attempted to persevere with his astronomical work, in the course of which, as his obituary in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society noted, he published many papers that were "singularly readable, and often contained the most original and suggestive ideas. Occasionally, indeed, they were altogether of a quaintly humorous character, introducing, for instance, the alleged wonderful discoveries of an imaginary Professor Monkhouse". Nevertheless, he continued to encounter problems with professional advancement:
In 1881 he published Tobias Mayer's grössere Mondkarte nebst Detailzeichnungen, a large Moon
map and set of drawings by Tobias Mayer
that had gathered dust in the observatory library for 130 years.
The ongoing conflicts in the observatory, declining health, financial problems and further disappointments drove him to shoot himself on 28 January 1884. His university colleagues had to pay for his funeral.
The asteroid
112328 Klinkerfues
is named in his honour
, as were 6 non-periodic comets.
Hofgeismar
Hofgeismar is a town in the district of Kassel, in northern Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km north of Kassel on the German Framework Road.-External links:*...
– 28 January 1884, 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:...
) was a German 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...
.
Life
Klinkerfues was born in HofgeismarHofgeismar
Hofgeismar is a town in the district of Kassel, in northern Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km north of Kassel on the German Framework Road.-External links:*...
, the son of army doctor Johann Reinhard Klinkerfues and his wife Sabine. After the early death of his parents, he was brought up by relatives, and after attending high school qualified as a surveyor in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
. In this capacity he subsequently worked on the new Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
- Kassel railway.
From 1847 to 1851 Klinkerfues studied mathematics and astronomy at the University of Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
. He then became an assistant to Carl Friedrich Gauss
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician and scientist who contributed significantly to many fields, including number theory, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics, electrostatics, astronomy and optics.Sometimes referred to as the Princeps mathematicorum...
at Göttingen Observatory
Göttingen Observatory
Göttingen Observatory is a German astronomical observatory located in Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany.-History:...
, where he completed his Ph.D. with a thesis on orbit calculations of double stars. After Gauss' death in 1855, the mathematician W. E. Weber replaced him as director, but Klinkerfues was to be temporarily responsible for the observatory from 1861.
Klinkerfues discovered 6 comets, and in 1860 led an expedition to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to observe a solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
. He was finally appointed "director for practical astronomy" at Göttingen in 1868. However, the role of Klinkerfues' section of the observatory was solely to deal with practical work, the theoretical work being placed in the hands of Ernst Schering
Ernst Christian Julius Schering
Ernst Christian Julius Schering was a German mathematician.-Biography:He received his Ph.D. from the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen in 1857. He was the editor of the papers of Carl Friedrich Gauss. He died on November 2, 1897 in Göttingen.-External links:* at Flickr...
. Klinkerfues was, like his predecessor, allowed to live in the eastern wing of the observatory, but the division of the observatory's organisation between the two teams was to be a source of constant conflict.
In his 1871 book Theoretische Astronomie Klinkerfues described how the orbits of celestial bodies in the solar system could be calculated. In the same period he compiled a catalogue of around 6900 observed stars.
Klinkerfues also had an abiding interest in meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, developing a hygrometer
Hygrometer
A hygrometer is an instrument used for measuring the moisture content in the environmental air, or humidity. Most measurement devices usually rely on measurements of some other quantity such as temperature, pressure, mass or a mechanical or electrical change in a substance as moisture is absorbed...
, patented in 1877, that was later manufactured in Göttingen by Wilhelm Lambrecht. His weather forecasts, published in newspapers, proved to be often incorrect, which led to them cruelly parodying his last name as "Flunkerkies". Undeterred by this criticism, he published a book on the hygrometer's use in 1875, and developed a detonator for use in Göttingen's gas street lighting. He also continued to supervise doctoral students, one of whom was Hermann Kobold
Hermann Kobold
Hermann Kobold was a German astronomer.-Biography:Hermann Albert Kobold was born in Hanover, Germany third of five children of the carpenter August Kobold and his wife Dorothea Kobold...
.
Klinkerfues was plagued by debt for much of his life, exacerbated by ill-advised business ventures. He attempted to persevere with his astronomical work, in the course of which, as his obituary in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society noted, he published many papers that were "singularly readable, and often contained the most original and suggestive ideas. Occasionally, indeed, they were altogether of a quaintly humorous character, introducing, for instance, the alleged wonderful discoveries of an imaginary Professor Monkhouse". Nevertheless, he continued to encounter problems with professional advancement:
"It would be useless and almost impossible to attempt to describe how the warm-hearted and genial astronomer failed to take that position amongst his colleagues to which his undoubtedly great natural talents entitled him. His extreme carelessness in late years in his outward appearances was certainly much against him, but the unflagging zeal with which he delivered a whole course of lectures, if need were, even to a single student, ought to have told in his favour, as to some extent it doubtless did."
In 1881 he published Tobias Mayer's grössere Mondkarte nebst Detailzeichnungen, a large Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
map and set of drawings by Tobias Mayer
Tobias Mayer
Tobias Mayer was a German astronomer famous for his studies of the Moon.He was born at Marbach, in Württemberg, and brought up at Esslingen in poor circumstances. A self-taught mathematician, he had already published two original geometrical works when, in 1746, he entered J.B. Homann's...
that had gathered dust in the observatory library for 130 years.
The ongoing conflicts in the observatory, declining health, financial problems and further disappointments drove him to shoot himself on 28 January 1884. His university colleagues had to pay for his funeral.
The asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
112328 Klinkerfues
112328 Klinkerfues
112328 Klinkerfues is a main-belt asteroid discovered on June 16, 2002, by M. Meyer at Palomar Observatory.- External links :*...
is named in his honour
Meanings of asteroid names
This is a list of named minor planets , with links to the Wikipedia articles on the people, places, characters and concepts that they are named for.-See also:*List of minor planets*List of minor planets named after people...
, as were 6 non-periodic comets.
Works
- Theoretische Astronomie, 1871, 1899,
- Theorie des Bifilar-Hygrometers, 1875
- Prinzipien der Spektralanalyse, 1879
Sources
- Siegmund Günther: Klinkerfues, Wilhelm. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Bd. 51, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1906, S. 231–233.
- H. Michling: Im Schatten des Titanen – das tragische Leben des Astronomen Klinkerfues. Teile I bis IV. Göttinger Monatsblätter, März–Juni 1975