Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1802-06-17)June 17, 1802 Frankfurt, Germany |
| Died | August 30, 1866(1866-08-30) (aged 64) Fontainebleau, France |
| Known for | discovery of the asteroidLutetia |
| Awards | Lalande Prize(1852, 1854, 1855, 1857, 1858, 1860, 1861) Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society(1861) |
Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt (June 17, 1802 – August 30[1] or September 10 1866[2]) was a German-Frenchastronomer and painter who spent much of his life in France. He started out as a painter, but after attending a lecture by the famous French astronomerUrbain Le Verrier turned to astronomy. His discovery of theasteroidLutetia in 1852 was followed by further findings and by 1861 Goldschmidt had discovered 14 asteroids. He received theGold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1861 for having discovered more asteroids than any other person up to that time. He died from complications ofdiabetes.
Goldschmidt was born inFrankfurt as the son of a Jewish merchant. During a journey to the Netherlands, Goldschmidt visited Dutch picture galleries. The impression of this visit convinced him to become a painter. He studied art inMunich for several years under supervision of such famous painters asPeter von Cornelius andJulius Schnorr von Carolsfeld. To complete his education, in 1836 Goldschmidt went to Paris.
In 1820, Goldschmidt discoveredshadow bands intotal solar eclipses.[3][4][5]
Several lectures on astronomy were planned for the occasion of thelunar eclipse of March 31, 1847. Urbain Le Verrier, discoverer ofNeptune, held one in theSorbonne. By pure chance, Goldshmidt attended this lecture, which awakened his interest in astronomy and led him to pursue it as a career.[6]
| 21 Lutetia | November 15, 1852 |
| 32 Pomona | October 26, 1854 |
| 36 Atalante | October 5, 1855 |
| 40 Harmonia | March 31, 1856 |
| 41 Daphne | May 22, 1856 |
| 44 Nysa | May 27, 1857 |
| 45 Eugenia | June 27, 1857 |
| 48 Doris | September 19, 1857 |
| 49 Pales | September 19, 1857 |
| 52 Europa | February 4, 1858 |
| 54 Alexandra | September 10, 1858 |
| 56 Melete | September 9, 1857 |
| 61 Danaë | September 9, 1860 |
| 70 Panopaea | May 5, 1861 |
Goldschmidt bought a telescope with the diameter of 23lines (52 millimeters (2.0 in)) with the money he got from selling two portraits ofGalileo he painted during a stay inFlorence.[8] Goldschmidt set up the telescope in his apartment on the sixth floor above theCafé Procope. Very soon he started updating theStar charts he had with new stars. During this work he observed the same area several times and was able to detectvariable stars and moving objects like planets. He discovered his first new planet (today classified as asteroid) on November 15, 1852. Goldschmidt confirmed his observations with the help ofFrançois Arago at theParis Observatory on November 18. Arago suggested the name Lutetium, based on the Latin name of ParisLutetia used during theRoman occupation. The discovery of the new planet was published on November 23.[8][9]
In subsequent years, Goldschmidt bought larger telescopes, one with 30 lines diameter. Despite the limited observational capabilities of his instrument, which was inferior to those of most of his competitors, by May 1856 Goldschmidt had discovered four more asteroids.[8] His next telescope was one with the diameter of 4 inches (10 cm). This technical improvement enabled him to discover nine asteroids between May 1857 and May 1861. During that period, the Academy of Science awarded Goldschmidt the astronomical prize medal several times, and he was made a chevalier of theLégion d'honneur in 1857.[10] By the time of his final discovery in May 1861, theRoyal Astronomical Society had awarded him theGold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for the discovery of 13 asteroids. At that point, the second most successful astronomersJohn Russell Hind andRobert Luther had each discovered 10.[8]
Goldschmidt combined his abilities as a painter with his love for astronomy as exemplified by his paintings of theGreat Comet of 1858 and of thesolar eclipse he observed in Spain July 1860.[1] In April 1861, he announced the discovery of a ninthmoon ofSaturn betweenTitan andHyperion, which he named "Chiron". However, he was mistaken: this moon did not exist; today, "Chiron" is the name of an entirely different object, the unusualasteroid/comet2060 Chiron. His updated star charts and the discovery of several variable stars were also appreciated by his colleagues.[8]
Goldschmidt was never employed at theParis Observatory and therefore his income was insecure. However, in 1862 he was awarded a pension of 1500 francs. Because of his diabetes, Goldschmidt moved toFontainebleau, but his condition did not improve. He stayed in Fontainebleau for three years and died there on April 26, 1866.[11]
The lunar craterGoldschmidt is named after him.[12] The crater is located in the northern polar region.
The outer main-belt asteroid1614 Goldschmidt, discovered by French astronomerAlfred Schmitt in 1952, was named in his memory.[12]
Goldschmidt was awarded theLalande Prize seven times (1852, 1854, 1855, 1857, 1858, 1860, 1861).
He was awarded chevalier of theLégion d'honneur in 1857.[10]
In 1861, receivedGold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for the discovery of 13 asteroids (at that time).[8]
In 1869, a commemorative medal honoring the discovery of the 100th asteroid shows the profiles ofJohn Russel Hind, Hermann Goldschmidt andRobert Luther.[13]
The phenomenon of shadow bands — a success of light and dark striations — is somewhat random. German astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt was the first to remark upon this complex refraction phenomenon, in 1820.
Shadow Bands. In 1820 the German astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt was the first to notice wavy lines seen across the Earth's surface just before totality. These so-called shadow bands [...]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)| International | |
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