German astronomer (1892–1979)
Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth |
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| Born | (1892-04-04)4 April 1892
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| Died | 6 May 1979(1979-05-06) (aged 87)
Heidelberg, Germany |
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| Occupation | Astronomer |
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Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth (4 April 1892 inHeidelberg – 6 May 1979 in Heidelberg) was aGermanastronomer and a prolific discoverer of 395minor planets.[2][3]
From 1912 to 1957, Reinmuth was working as anastronomer at theHeidelberg Observatory (German:Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl) anastronomical observatory on theKönigstuhl hill aboveHeidelberg in southern Germany. He was a member at the minor planet studies group atAstronomisches Rechen-Institut between 1947 and 1950, and later became "Oberobservator" or chief-observer at Heidelberg Observatory until his retirement in 1957.[4] Reinmuth obtained more than 12,500 preciseastrometric measurements of minor planets' positions on photographic plates, an enormous accomplishment before computer-based assistance existed.[2]
The outer main-belt asteroid1111 Reinmuthia, discovered by himself at Heidelberg in 1912, was named in his honour (H 104).[3]
Among his most notable discoveries are the twonear-Earth objects (NEOs)1862 Apollo, the namesake of the Apollo group which became the largest group of asteroids within the NEO category with nearly 8,000 members, and69230 Hermes, famous for being alost asteroid for more than half a century until its recovery in 2003, and for being the only unnumbered but named asteroid during that period.
He also discovered several largeJupiter trojans including911 Agamemnon,1143 Odysseus,1172 Äneas,1173 Anchises,1208 Troilus,1404 Ajax,1437 Diomedes and1749 Telamon. The main-belt asteroid5535 Annefrank, which he discovered in 1942 during World War II, was later visited by theStardust spacecraft in 2002.[5] His lowest numbered minor planet discovery is796 Sarita, anasteroid from the middle region of the main-belt.[2] Reinmuth also discovered twoperiodic comets of theJupiter family, namely30P/Reinmuth and44P/Reinmuth.[6][7]
The initials of the minor planets(1227) through(1234), all discovered by Reinmuth, spell out "G. Stracke".Gustav Stracke was a German astronomer and orbit computer, who had asked that no planet be named after him. In this manner Reinmuth was able to honour the man whilst also honouring his wish:[8]
Later1019 Strackea, also discovered by Reinmuth, was named after Stracke.
List of discovered minor planets
[edit]Karl Reinmuth is credited by theMinor Planet Center with the discovery of 395minor planets made during 1914–1957, with an interruption from April 1943 to July 1949 due to the end and the aftermath ofWWII.[1]
- The Herschel nebulas, De Gruyter, Berlin 1926
- Catalog of 6.500 exact photographic positions of small planets, brown, Karlsruhe 1953
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