Johann Esaias Silberschlag (16 November 1721 – 22 November 1791) was a German

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...

 Lutheran theologian

Theology

Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

 and natural scientist from Aschersleben

Aschersleben

Aschersleben is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 22 km east of Quedlinburg, and 45 km northwest of Halle .-Pre-20th century:...

, Principality of Halberstadt

Principality of Halberstadt

The Principality of Halberstadt was a state of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by Brandenburg-Prussia. It replaced the Bishopric of Halberstadt after its secularization in 1648. Its capital was Halberstadt. In 1807, the principality was made a state or regional capital of the Kingdom of Westphalia...

.

In 1760, he became an external member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences

Prussian Academy of Sciences

The Prussian Academy of Sciences was an academy established in Berlin on 11 July 1700, four years after the Akademie der Künste or "Arts Academy", to which "Berlin Academy" may also refer.-Origins:...

 in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

, Privy Councillor in the newly founded Office for Public Works, Section of Mechanical Engineering and Hydraulic Engineering. In 1780 Silberschlag observed and described the Brocken bow (also called Brocken spectre). In his book Geonetics or Explanation of the Mosaic Creation according to Physical and Mathematical Foundations (Geogonie oder Erklärung der mosaischen Erderschaffung nach physikalischen und mathematischen Grundlagen) he tried to reconcile theology and science. The lunar crater Silberschlag

Silberschlag (crater)

Silberschlag is a small, circular Impact crater in the central portion of the Moon. It lies between the craters Agrippa to the southwest and Julius Caesar to the northeast. Silberschlag is bowl-shaped and is joined at the northern rim by a small ridge....

is named after him.