Carl Theodor Albrecht

Carl Theodor Albrecht ( born August 30, 1843 in Dresden, † August 31, 1915 in Potsdam ) was a German surveyor, astronomer and longtime head of the Prussian Geodesy. As such, it marked the beginning of international cooperation in geodesy and was co-founder of the international latitude service, today under the name of International Service for Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS, English: International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service ) a worldwide service of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics ( IUGG ) is.

Life

Albrecht attended the Cross School in Dresden. Even as a 17- year-old he studied from 1860 mathematics and science at the Polytechnic in Dresden. Here he founded in 1861 together with Baron Carl von Wagner the "Association for the Care of free speech Polyhymnia ", from which the free Percussive connection Polyhymnia and then which today's Corps Old Saxons. From 1865 he continued his studies of physics and astronomy at the University of Berlin. His equally technical and sky manifested much interest - astronomy was still predominantly astrometry, astrophysics beginning to emerge - Albrecht led to geodesy, where he was organizing ability and determination of the most significant German " Astrogeodät " turn of the century. Already during his studies he was on May 1, 1866 Assistant in the Central Bureau of the Central European arc measurement. 1867 Albrecht took part in a telegraphic longitude determination. Here he met on the field that most interested him by his own admission.

The Royal Prussian Geodetic Institute was founded in 1869 in Potsdam, which took over the work of the Central Office. So Albrecht joined the Institute. He initially worked as an employee at various astronomical and geodetic work and measurements of gravity. After the resignation of the head of the astronomical section of the Institute in 1873, Albrecht was by Johann Jacob Baeyer, the director of the Institute, appointed to manage the astronomical work. As Section Chief of the Institute he made this central service for several decades the world center of geodesy. It later evolved to the Central Institute for Earth Physics ( ZIPE ) and now houses the Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam responsible for the overall German Earth science (GFZ ). 1895 was decided by the General Conference of the International Geodesy the introduction of an International Latitude Service, Albrecht and his colleagues Wilhelm Foerster and Friedrich Robert Helmert In 1899. This later became the International Polar Motion Service ( IPMS) and is now the International Earth Rotation Service.

This is followed by closing his initiative to build a global network of monitoring stations for this monitoring the Earth's rotation and geophysical research. For Germany, this task is still carried out by the Centre for Geosciences at Potsdam Telegrafenberg and from the satellite station Wettzell.

In addition to these tasks Albrecht worked well even in the astrometric practice: he determined the course of his life, the precise star positions of 39 Zirkumpolarsternen, as well as the astronomical perpendicular direction ( vulgo " localization " ) of around 50 cities, including Paris, Warsaw, Greenwich and New York. He collaborated with other centers of the earth and sky customer. Albrecht was always striving to improve the methods of observations and to achieve an increase in accuracy. With the advent of wireless telegraphy in 1904 were hired by Albrecht immediately attempts to use at length regulations. Already in determining the difference in length chunk -Potsdam 1906, the wireless telegraphy was used. In preparation for the ministry width Albrecht took a selection of the monitoring stations and developed a monitoring program. Through the use of common methods and instruments have a high accuracy of the measurements could be realized.

One of his 1876 and 1883 authored publications was a part until today used analogue standard work: that of him and compiled formulas and tables for geographical localization. It was not until around 1980, its formulas and series expansions were finally replaced by computers and new methods, but the tables are useful for many purposes today.

Even with 71 years, he personally took the measurement of the difference in length between Borkum and New York prior to the intermediate station Horta in the Azores. By the outbreak of World War I had the work will be interrupted and Albrecht could return only with difficulty, where he died shortly afterwards from a stomach ailment.

Albrecht participated in conferences of the International Geodesy and put 20 reports. He is considered one of the most renowned German Erdmessungsastronomen of the early 20th century. In 1882 he was elected a member of the Scholars Academy Leopoldina.

His grave is located in the Protestant Old St. Matthew's Cemetery in Berlin -Schöneberg.

Honors

Albrecht has received numerous honors: he was a corresponding or foreign member of several academies and learned societies, the Stuttgart Technical University awarded him an honorary doctorate. The International Astronomical Union named in his honor in Paris in 2002 an asteroid after him, the minor planet 10656 (Albrecht ).

Has lasting impact and the " Albrecht'sche length compensation " the whole of Europe ( 1890 ). From it is inter alia today took advantage of international exchange Ferro - Greenwich 17 ° 40 ' 00.00 " out (see also Hermannskogel and Rauenberg ). Albrecht himself had the value 17 ° 39' 46.02 " determined, however because of the absolute deflection of the vertical, both in Vienna as well as Berlin at random 13-14 "in total, was set to the value oe round. , the underlying calculations and analyzes are due to Karl leather Steger ( Technical University of Vienna ), who in the 1940s, the Albrecht'schen files for the area of Central Europe a thorough investigation underwent.

Works

  • Formulas and tables for geographical position determinations, 1873
  • Report on the state of research on the width variation in December 1897, Berlin, Reimer, 1898
  • Report on the state of research on the width variation in December 1898, Berlin, Reimer, 1899
  • Report on the state of research on the width variation in December 1899, Berlin, Reimer, 1900
  • Instructions for the use of the zenith telescope on the international Width stations, Berlin, Reimer, 1902
  • Results of the International Latitude Service, Volume 1, Berlin, Reimer, 1903
  • Results of the International Latitude Service, Vol 2, Berlin, Reimer, 1906
  • Results of the International Latitude Service, Vol 3, Berlin, Reimer, 1909
  • Results of the International Latitude Service, Vol 4, Berlin, Reimer, 1911
  • Physico-chemical tables ( co-author ), Berlin, Springer, 1912
  • Results of the width observations on the Observatory in Johannesburg from March 1910 to March 1913, Berlin, Reimer, 1915
  • Results of his measurements were published in 20 volumes of the Astronomical Society
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