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Freimut Börngen (German:[ˈfʁaɪmuːtˈbœʁŋən]; 17 October 1930 – 19 June 2021) was a Germanastronomer and a prolificdiscoverer of minor planets.[2] A few sources give his first name wrongly as "Freimuth". TheMinor Planet Center credits him asF. Borngen.
He studied galaxies with theSchmidt telescope at theKarl Schwarzschild Observatory inTautenburg, Germany. In 1995 he retired, but continued to work as a freelancer for the observatory. As a by-product of his work, he discovered numerousasteroids (519, as of July 2006[update]). The research on asteroids had to be done in his spare time, as the search for small objects was not considered prestigious enough by theGDR research managers. During the GDR regime, Börngen restricted himself to politically neutral names for his asteroids, such as topics related toThuringia or famous scientists andcomposers. Examples include2424 Tautenburg,3181 Ahnert,3245 Jensch, or3941 Haydn. After theGerman reunification, he chose systematically historical, cultural, scientific and geographical namings, and at times honored amateur astronomers. Other names include references to resistance fighters against theNazi suppression, or document a religious interest.[3]
Freimut Börngen achieved great reputation in the international scientific community for his human qualities and the well-substantiated choice of names. In 2006, he was awarded theBundesverdienstkreuz am Bande (Cross of Merit on ribbon) by German Federal PresidentHorst Köhler.
The main-belt asteroid3859 Börngen, discovered by astronomerEdward Bowell at the U.S.Anderson Mesa Station in 1987, was named in his honor.[2] The naming and its citation was proposed and written by his colleagueLutz Schmadel, and published on 20 February 1989 (M.P.C. 14207).[4]
Freimut Börngen died on 19 June 2021 at the age of 90.[5]
Freimut Börngen is credited by theMinor Planet Center with the discovery of 538 numberedminor planets made between 1961 and 1995.[1]
Co-discovery made with:
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