Franz Brünnow

Franz Friedrich Ernst Brünnow ( born November 18, 1821 in Berlin, † August 20 1891 in Heidelberg ) was a German astronomer.

Brünnow first studied mathematics, physics and astronomy at the University of Berlin and received his doctorate in 1843 with the work of De attractione moleculari. He then worked with Johann Encke at the Berlin Observatory, and was (1847 ) the director of the observatory Bilk ( now a suburb of Dusseldorf ) called a short time later. In 1851 he returned as the first Observer back to the observatory in Berlin.

1854 Brünnow went to the USA to Ann Arbor (Michigan ), where he became director of the newly built observatory. In Ann Arbor and later in Albany, where he was employed as a deputy director of the Dudley Observatory from 1859 to 1860, he edited an astronomical journal, the Astronomical Notices.

1863 Brünnow returned back to Europe and took over in 1866 as Royal Astronomer for Ireland and Professor of Astronomy at Trinity College, Dublin, the management of the local observatory.

In 1874, he retired into private life. Franz Friedrich Ernst Brünnow died on August 20, 1891 in Heidelberg. His grave stone is still located at the Heidelberg Mountain Cemetery.

Works

• Mémoire sur la comète elliptique de De Vico. (Amsterdam 1849)
• Textbook on spherical astronomy. (Berlin 1851), at Google Books
• Textbook card design theory, 1870