Richard Reinhard Emil Schorr (20 August 1867,Kassel – 21 September 1951,Badgastein,Salzburg), was a Germanastronomer, who served as the director of the Hamburger Stemwarte at the end of the 19th century.
From 1889 to 1891, Schorr worked as an assistant editor ofAstronomische Nachrichten, at the observatory atKiel.[1] In 1892 Schorr became observer (observator) at the Hamburger Sternwarte (Hamburg Observatory) Schorr was the director of the Hamburger Sternwarte (Hamburg Observatory). The former directorGeorge Rümker had started the movement of the observatory to the outer parts of Hamburg but became seriously ill and died in 1899. After Rümker's death, Schorr became director, and the building of Germany's second largest observatory in Hamburg-Bergedorf became his task. The new observatory opened in 1912.
Schorr's main interests had been star positions (astrometry),proper motion of stars andsolar eclipse observations.Schorr initiated many catalog projects (most popular is theAGK2). From 1905 to 1928 Schorr organized 8 big expeditions to observe solar eclipses at different parts in the world. At 7 he took part himself.
The observations for the AGK2 took place between 1913 and 1920. Several astronomers at Hamburg observatory took more than 1700 photographic plates. After measuring the plates Schorr and the Danish astronomerHolger Thiele used them too for searching and position determination of comets and asteroids. They discovered 30 new asteroids and one new comet, D/1918 W1 (Schorr), during this time.
Under Schorr's directorship the opticianBernhard Schmidt got rooms and time to experiment with new optical assemblies. Schmidt constructed several new telescope constructions for the observatory. In 1930 Schmidt invented theSchmidt camera, a telescope with a very wide field of view and free from image elongations in the plate edges far from the optical axis. Schorr urged Schmidt to build the first Schmidt Camera at Bergedorf observatory.
In 1937Nazi Germany Schorr had to resign the directorship due to his age. His first choice candidate as his follower wasWalter Baade who refused because of better astronomical working conditions at the CalifornianMt. Wilson andPalomar observatory which was under construction.[citation needed] In spite of the wishes of Nazi organisations Schorr could callOtto Heckmann as his follower in 1941.
In 1951, he died inBadgastein,Salzburg.
The lunar craterSchorr and the asteroid1235 Schorria are named after him.[2]
Asteroid725 Amanda is named after his wife, Amanda.[3]
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