Gustaf Svanberg (22 January 1802 – 21 November 1882) was a Swedishastronomer. He was aprofessor ofastronomy atUppsala University from 1842 to 1875, and prefect of the university'sobservatory between 1825 and 1878. During his tenure, Svanberg traveled to Germany to meet prominent astronomers of the time. After returning from the journey, he undertook efforts to improve the astronomical facilities atUppsala. This included establishinggeomagnetic research facilities to cooperate withCarl Friedrich Gauss, and building a new observatory in Uppsala, a project which was subject to political controversy at the time. The minor asteroid8871 Svanberg is named after him.[1]
Svanberg was born on 22 January 1802 in Botilsäter,Värmland, to parents Pehr Svanberg and Maria Odén. He attendedprimary school inSöderköping andsecondary school inLinköping. Svanberg began studying at Uppsala University in 1819, achieving graduate and undergraduate degrees, and finally adoctorate in astronomy in 1825.
The year of his graduation in 1825, Svanberg was appointeddocent of astronomy, as well asobservator and thus prefect of the observatory. After his appointment, Svanberg spent time atStockholm University to obtain more modern knowledge of astronomy than was available in Uppsala at the time. In 1829, his position asobservator was made permanent, and in 1833, Svanberg embarked on a journey to Germany to acquire further knowledge and connect with connect astronomers of the time. Svanberg touredAltona;Göttingen, where he studied the Earth's magnetic field under Gauss andWilliam Eduard Weber;München;Vienna;Berlin; andHanover. He returned to Uppsala in 1835.
After returning from this trip, Svanberg established one of the firstmagnetometer observatories in Uppsala. From 1836 onwards measurements were taken there and relayed to a network of scientists coordinates by Gauss, to map the Earth's magnetic field. In 1842 he was named professor of astronomy at Uppsala.
After the geomagnetic facility was completed, Svanberg lobbied to have a more modern astronomical observatory built in Uppsala. The proposal faced considerable opposition on funding grounds, both from within the university and on a national level. After debates in theRiksdag between 1840 and 1841, national funding was secured for the construction of the observatory, which began in 1844.
Svanberg resigned from his position as professor in 1875. He remainedobservator until 1878, and died in Uppsala on 21 November 1882.
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