Placidus Fixlmillner
Encyclopedia
Placidus Fixlmillner was a Benedictine
priest and the first astronomer to compute the orbit of Uranus
.
, Austria
, he was educated in Salzburg
, where he displayed an aptitude in mathematics. He joined the Benedictine
s at sixteen.
In 1756 he published a small non-astronomical treatise entitled Reipublicæ sacræ origines divinæ which was interrupted in 1761 when he returned to studying the transit of Venus
. He was appointed director of the observatory at Kremsmünster Abbey
, which had been established by his uncle. He continued in charge of the observatory until his death. Outside astronomy, he was in charge of the college connected with the abbey and acted as professor of canon law
. He was honoured with the office of notary Apostolic of the Roman Court.
He was one of the first to compute the orbit of Uranus after its discovery by Herschel
. His numerous observations of Mercury
were of much service to Lalande
in constructing tables of that planet.
Besides the treatise already mentioned he was the author of Meridianus speculæ astronomicæ cremifanensis (Steyer, 1765), which treats of his observations in connexion with the latitude and longitude of his observatory, and Decennium astronomicum (Steyer, 1776). After his death his successor P. Derfflinger published the Acta cremifanensia a Placido Fixlmillner (Steyer, 1791), which contain his observations from 1776 to 1791.
He died at Kremsmünster on 27 August 1791.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
priest and the first astronomer to compute the orbit of Uranus
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...
.
Biography
Born in Achleuthen near KremsmünsterKremsmünster
Kremsmünster is a town in Kirchdorf an der Krems , in Upper Austria, Austria. Its population is 6,450, as of 2001. Settled in 777, it is home to the Kremsmünster Abbey....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, he was educated in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, where he displayed an aptitude in mathematics. He joined the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
s at sixteen.
In 1756 he published a small non-astronomical treatise entitled Reipublicæ sacræ origines divinæ which was interrupted in 1761 when he returned to studying the transit of Venus
Transit of Venus
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, becoming visible against the solar disk. During a transit, Venus can be seen from Earth as a small black disk moving across the face of the Sun...
. He was appointed director of the observatory at Kremsmünster Abbey
Kremsmünster Abbey
Kremsmünster Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Kremsmünster in Upper Austria.-History:The monastery was founded in 777 by Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria...
, which had been established by his uncle. He continued in charge of the observatory until his death. Outside astronomy, he was in charge of the college connected with the abbey and acted as professor of canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
. He was honoured with the office of notary Apostolic of the Roman Court.
He was one of the first to compute the orbit of Uranus after its discovery by Herschel
William Herschel
Sir Frederick William Herschel, KH, FRS, German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel was a German-born British astronomer, technical expert, and composer. Born in Hanover, Wilhelm first followed his father into the Military Band of Hanover, but emigrated to Britain at age 19...
. His numerous observations of Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
were of much service to Lalande
Jérôme Lalande
Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande was a French astronomer and writer.-Biography:Lalande was born at Bourg-en-Bresse...
in constructing tables of that planet.
Besides the treatise already mentioned he was the author of Meridianus speculæ astronomicæ cremifanensis (Steyer, 1765), which treats of his observations in connexion with the latitude and longitude of his observatory, and Decennium astronomicum (Steyer, 1776). After his death his successor P. Derfflinger published the Acta cremifanensia a Placido Fixlmillner (Steyer, 1791), which contain his observations from 1776 to 1791.
He died at Kremsmünster on 27 August 1791.