Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt

Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt ( mostly short JF Julius Schmidt and Julius Schmidt) ( born October 26, 1825 Eutin, † February 7, 1884 in Athens, Greece ) was a German astronomer and geologist.

He compiled and published a complete map of the moon, when it was the most accurate map that was created in the 19th century. In addition, he worked in the fields of zodiacal light, the variable stars, comets and meteors.

As a geologist Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt dealt with the volcanism, earthquakes, and the Geography of Greece.

Life

Eutin

Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt was born in 1825 in Eutin son of a glazier. He was interested in already as a student for astronomical topics interested, with his talent for drawing stood out. By Christoph Friedrich Hellwag, through whose mediation him to visit the Eutiner Gelehrtenschule was made possible, he had access to a telescope.

Hamburg and Altona

To visit the school, he was given to relatives in Hamburg. He came as a 14- year-old in the possession of the book Selenotopographische fragments of Johann Hieronymus Schroeter. There to his interest in the moon, he could delve into the observatory Altona. There he also received access to the moon map created by Wilhelm Beer and Johann Heinrich von Mädler.

The school broke Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt in front of the High School and worked from 1842 at the Altona Observatory Karl Rümker. There he learned the basics of astronomy know, discovered a new comet, and calculated its path whereby the scientific community became aware of him.

Dusseldorf

In 1845 he became an assistant to Johann Friedrich Benz mountain at the observatory at Bilk near Dusseldorf.

Bonn

After the death of Johann Friedrich Benz mountain, he moved in 1846 to the Bonn observatory to Friedrich Wilhelm August Argelander. Here he became in 1844 a member of the fraternity Fridericia Bonn. and was co-founder in 1845 of the Bonn fraternity Franconia.

Olomouc

In 1853 he became head of the private observatory of the Provost Edward Knight of Unkrechtsberg in Olomouc ( Moravia ). Through his work there he greatly influenced the interest Gustav Tschermak in geology.

Athens

In 1858 he was given the post of director at the Observatory of Athens, funded by the Greek banker Simon of Sina. In Athens he remained for the rest of his life. There, he led more than 70,000 observations variable stars by, studied comets and meteors and discovered two supernovae.

In his observations he made in 1866 - supposedly - determined that the lunar crater Linné had disappeared. The report of this discovery led to an intensification of lunar science, as this among others one was seen as evidence of geological activity of the moon. This was discussed until the middle of the 20th century; later this false observation was attributed to the resolution limit of the then-available telescopes for detailed observations.

In 1868 he became an honorary doctorate from the University of Bonn.

As a result of his decades-long observations Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt published

Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt died suddenly in 1884 and was buried with great sympathy of the Athenians.

Publications

  • Observations of Saturn and its ring in 1848 In: Astronomical Society. Altona 1848
  • Results of ten years of observations on shooting stars. Berlin 1852
  • Observation of the total solar eclipse of 28 July 1851 Rastenburg in East Prussia
  • The zodiacal light. Braunschweig 1856
  • The moon. Leipzig 1856
  • The eruption of Vesuvius in May 1855. Vienna, Olomouc 1856
  • About grooves on the moon. Leipzig 1866
  • About fire meteors from 1842 to 1867. Vienna 1967
  • Volcano studies. Leipzig 1874.
  • Studies on earthquakes. Leipzig 1875.
  • About Variabilis Cygni. In: Astronomical Society. Altona 1866
  • (Editor): Wilhelm Gotthelf Lohrmann - Moon Charte in 25 autopsies, Berlin 1877
  • Charter of the Mountains of the Moon. Berlin 1878

Others

  • After Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt is named ( along with two other Schmidts ) of the lunar crater Schmidt.
  • A plaque is in memory of Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt at his birthplace in Eutin.
  • Written estate of Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt is in the archive of the Berlin- Brandenburg Academy of Sciences
Altona, Hamburg Gustav Tschermak von Seysenegg Lunar craters Astronomische Nachrichten Rille Schmidt (lunar crater) Neue Deutsche Biographie Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie Constantin von Wurzbach Astrophysics Data System Integrated Authority File
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