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TheAstronomical Calculation Institute (German:Astronomisches Rechen-Institut;ARI) is a research institute inHeidelberg, Germany, with origins dating back from the 1700s. Beginning in 2005, the ARI became part of theCenter for Astronomy atHeidelberg University (Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg,ZAH). Previously, the institute directly belonged to the state ofBaden-Württemberg.
The ARI has a rich history.[1] It was founded in 1700 inBerlin-Dahlem byGottfried Kirch. It had its origin in a patent application byFrederick I of Prussia, who introduced a monopoly on publishing star catalogs in Prussia. In 1945 the Institute was moved by the Americans nearer to theUnited States Army Garrison Heidelberg. On January 1, 2005 the combined Center for Astronomy institute formed by combining ARI, with theInstitute of Theoretical Astrophysics (Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik, ITA) and theLandessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl ("Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory", LSW).
The ARI has been responsible among other things for theGliese catalog of nearby stars, the fundamental catalogsFK5 andFK6, and the annually-published "Apparent Places of Fundamental Stars" (APFS),[2] stellar ephemerides that provide high-precision mean andapparent positions of over three thousand stars for each day.
During 1938–1945, whilst based in Berlin, ARI published the academic journalAstronomical Notes (German:Astronomische Nachrichten).As of 2016[update], ARI was not limited to only publishing star catalogs, but has a wider research scope, includinggravitational lensing, galaxy evolution,stellar dynamics, andcosmology. ARI is also involved in space astronomy missions including theGaia mission.
In 2007 professorsEva K. Grebel andJoachim Wambsganß [de] became co-directors of the institute.
Other researchers involved with the institute includeHartmut Jahreiß author of the updatedGliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars;Eugene Rabe;Lutz D. Schmadel, author of theDictionary of Minor Planet Names;Hans Scholl; andRainer Spurzem working with N-body simulations.
Between 1700 and 2007 there was a single director of the institute at a time. From 2007 onwards there were joint co-directors of the institute:
| From/to | Director |
|---|---|
| 1700–1710 | Gottfried Kirch |
| 1710–1716 | Johann Heinrich Hoffmann |
| 1716–1740 | Christfried Kirch |
| 1740–1745 | Johann Wilhelm Wagner |
| 1745–1749 | August Nathanael Grischow |
| 1752–1752 | Joseph Jerome Le Francais de Lalande |
| 1754–1755 | Johann Kies |
| 1755–1755 | Franz Ulrich Theodosius Aepinus |
| 1756–1756 | Johann Jakob Huber |
| 1758–1758 | Johann Albert Euler |
| 1764–1787 | Johann III Bernoulli |
| 1787–1825 | Johann Elert Bode |
| 1825–1863 | Johann Franz Encke |
| 1865–1874 | Wilhelm Foerster |
| 1874–1895 | Friedrich Tietjen |
| 1896–1909 | Julius Bauschinger |
| 1909–1922 | Fritz Cohn |
| 1924–1954 | August Kopff |
| 1955–1985 | Walter Fricke |
| 1985–2004 | Roland Wielen |
| 2004–2007 | Joachim Wambsganß [de] |
| 2007–pres. | Eva Grebel / Joachim Wambsganß |
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49°25′4.3″N8°41′16.7″E / 49.417861°N 8.687972°E /49.417861; 8.687972
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