J. G. Westphal
Encyclopedia
Justus Georg Westphal was a German astronomer
and mathematician.
Westphal is not to be confused with Johann Heinrich Westphal
(1794 – 1831). Within the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) he also appears to be confused with a third Westphal, "Alfred Friedrich Julius Westphal" ("Dr. A. Westphal"), a geophysicist who lived from August 1, 1850 to 1924 and who first published in 1881. J. G. Westphal is only mentioned a few times in the ADS, between 1853 and 1859.
. He received his PhD at the University of Göttingen
in 1852, his thesis being published as Evolutio readicum aequationum algebraicarum e ternis terminis constantium in series infinitas.
He was a student of the famous mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss
, who was also Director of Göttingen Observatory. During this period Westphal assisted at the observatory, where he held the title of Observator. In 1854, Westphal was appointed as a lecturer, but by the time of Gauss' death in 1855, he had resigned from his astronomical duties and had been replaced by his colleague Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues
.
Westphal is chiefly known for discovering the periodic comet 20D/Westphal
(a.k.a. 20D/1852 O1, 1852 IV, D/Westphal 1) on July 24, 1852. C. H. F. Peters independently discovered the same comet from Constantinople
on August 3. Although it returned in 1913 (20D/1913 S1, 1913 VI, 1913d), the comet failed to return in 1976 and is now considered lost. There is substantial evidence that the comet completely disintegrated before reaching perihelion during its 1913 apparition. Westphal did not discover any other comets or any asteroid
s, though he made many observations of asteroids and calculated the orbital elements of several.
Westphal, who had suffered from poor health for much of his life, died on November 9, 1859, in Lüneburg
.
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 mathematician.
Westphal is not to be confused with Johann Heinrich Westphal
Johann Heinrich Westphal
Johann Heinrich Westphal was a German astronomer. Not to be confused with J. G. Westphal, who discovered the lost periodic comet 20D/Westphal in 1852....
(1794 – 1831). Within the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) he also appears to be confused with a third Westphal, "Alfred Friedrich Julius Westphal" ("Dr. A. Westphal"), a geophysicist who lived from August 1, 1850 to 1924 and who first published in 1881. J. G. Westphal is only mentioned a few times in the ADS, between 1853 and 1859.
Life
Westphal was born on March 18, 1824 in Colborn near LüchowLüchow
Lüchow is a city in northeastern Lower Saxony, in Germany. It is the seat of the Samtgemeinde Lüchow , and is the capital of the district Lüchow-Dannenberg. Situated approximately 13 km north of Salzwedel, Lüchow is located on the German Framework Road...
. He received his PhD at the University of 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:...
in 1852, his thesis being published as Evolutio readicum aequationum algebraicarum e ternis terminis constantium in series infinitas.
He was a student of the famous mathematician 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...
, who was also Director of Göttingen Observatory. During this period Westphal assisted at the observatory, where he held the title of Observator. In 1854, Westphal was appointed as a lecturer, but by the time of Gauss' death in 1855, he had resigned from his astronomical duties and had been replaced by his colleague Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues
Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues
Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues was a German astronomer.-Life:Klinkerfues was born in Hofgeismar, 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...
.
Westphal is chiefly known for discovering the periodic comet 20D/Westphal
20D/Westphal
20D/Westphal is a periodic comet in our solar system, originally discovered by the German astronomer J. G. Westphal on July 24, 1852....
(a.k.a. 20D/1852 O1, 1852 IV, D/Westphal 1) on July 24, 1852. C. H. F. Peters independently discovered the same comet from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
on August 3. Although it returned in 1913 (20D/1913 S1, 1913 VI, 1913d), the comet failed to return in 1976 and is now considered lost. There is substantial evidence that the comet completely disintegrated before reaching perihelion during its 1913 apparition. Westphal did not discover any other comets or any 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...
s, though he made many observations of asteroids and calculated the orbital elements of several.
Westphal, who had suffered from poor health for much of his life, died on November 9, 1859, in Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
.
External links
- http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-abs_connect?db_key=AST&db_key=INST&db_key=PHY&db_key=PRE&sim_query=YES&ned_query=YES&lpi_query=YES&iau_query=YES&aut_xct=NO&aut_logic=OR&obj_logic=OR&author=Westphal&object=&start_mon=01&start_year=1800&end_mon=12&end_year=1899&ttl_logic=OR&title=&txt_logic=OR&text=&nr_to_return=100&start_nr=1&start_entry_day=&start_entry_mon=&start_entry_year=&min_score=&jou_pick=ALL&ref_stems=&data_and=ALL&group_and=ALL&sort=SCORE&aut_syn=YES&ttl_syn=YES&txt_syn=YES&aut_wt=1.0&obj_wt=1.0&ttl_wt=0.3&txt_wt=3.0&aut_wgt=YES&obj_wgt=YES&ttl_wgt=YES&txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1NASA ADS Query for Westphal in 1800-1899]
- 20D/Westphal cometography
- D. K. Yeomans, The intermediate comets and nongravitational effects, Astronomical Journal, vol. 91, April 1986, pp. 971-973