Karl Stumpff
Encyclopedia
Karl Johann Nikolaus Stumpff (May 17, 1895 – November 10, 1970) was a German astronomer
. The Stumpff functions, used in the universal variable formulation
of the two-body problem
, are named after him.
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...
. The Stumpff functions, used in the universal variable formulation
Universal variable formulation
In orbital mechanics, the universal variable formulation is a method used to solve the two-body Kepler problem. It is a generalized form of Kepler's Equations, extending them to apply not only to elliptic orbits, but also parabolic and hyperbolic orbits...
of the two-body problem
Two-body problem
In classical mechanics, the two-body problem is to determine the motion of two point particles that interact only with each other. Common examples include a satellite orbiting a planet, a planet orbiting a star, two stars orbiting each other , and a classical electron orbiting an atomic nucleus In...
, are named after him.