Johann Palisa (6 December 1848 – 2 May 1925) was an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...
, born in
Troppau,
Austrian Silesia, now
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
.
He was a prolific discoverer of
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...
s, discovering 122 in all, from
136 Austria in 1874 to
1073 Gellivara in 1923.
Some of his notable discoveries include
153 Hilda,
216 Kleopatra,
243 Ida
Ida, minor planet designation 243 Ida, is an asteroid in the Koronis family of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 29 September 1884 by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at Vienna Observatory and named after a nymph from Greek mythology. ...
,
253 Mathilde,
324 Bamberga, and the
near-Earth asteroid
719 Albert
719 Albert, provisional designation , is a stony asteroid, approximately 2.5 kilometers in diameter, classified as a near-Earth object of the Amor group of asteroids. It was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at the Vienna Observat ...
. Palisa made his discoveries without the aid of
photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...
, and he remains the most successful visual (non-photographic) asteroid discoverer of all time.
He was awarded the
Valz Prize
The Valz Prize ''(Prix Valz)'' was awarded by the French Academy of Sciences, from 1877 through 1970, to honor advances in astronomy.
History
The Valz Prize was established in June 1874 when the widow of astronomer Benjamin Valz, Marie Madeleine J ...
from the
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at ...
in 1906.
The asteroid
914 Palisana
914 Palisana, provisional designation , is a Phocaean asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 77 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory on 4 July 1919.
Descri ...
, discovered by
Max Wolf
Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (21 June 1863 – 3 October 1932) was a German astronomer and a pioneer in the field of astrophotography. He was the chairman of astronomy at the University of Heidelberg and director of the Heidelberg-K ...
in 1919, and the lunar crater ''
Palisa'' were named in his honour.
Biography
Palisa was born on 6 December 1848, in
Troppau in
Austrian Silesia (now called ''Opava'' and located in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
).
From 1866 to 1870, Palisa studied
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
and
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...
at the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hi ...
; however, he did not graduate until 1884. Despite this, by 1870 he was an assistant at the University's observatory, and a year later gained a position at the observatory in Geneva. A few years later, in 1872, at the age of 24, Palisa became the director of the Austrian Naval Observatory in
Pula. While at Pula, he discovered his first asteroid,
136 Austria
Austria ( minor planet designation: 136 Austria) is a main-belt asteroid that was found by the prolific asteroid discoverer Johann Palisa on 18 March 1874, from the Austrian Naval Observatory in Pola, Istria. It was his first asteroid discov ...
, on 18 March 1874. Along with this, he discovered twenty-seven minor planets and one comet. During his stay in Pula he used a small six-inch
refractor telescope to aid in his research.
Palisa became director of the Pula observatory, with the rank of commander, until 1880.
In 1880 Palisa moved to the new Vienna Observatory. While at the observatory he discovered 94 comets by visual means.
In 1883 he joined a French expedition to
Caroline Island to observe the
Solar eclipse of 6 May 1883. During the expedition, he joined to observations for the search for the hypothetical planet
Vulcan, as well as collecting samples of insects for the
Vienna Museum of Natural History.
In memory of this expedition, he named the asteroid
235 Carolina after
Caroline Island.
In 1885, Palisa offered to sell the naming rights of some of the minor planets he discovered, in order to fund his travels to observe the
Solar eclipse of 29 August 1886
Solar may refer to:
Astronomy
* Of or relating to the Sun
** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun
** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels")
** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...
. However he sold just a small number of these naming rights and apparently did not go.
Palisa and
Max Wolf
Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (21 June 1863 – 3 October 1932) was a German astronomer and a pioneer in the field of astrophotography. He was the chairman of astronomy at the University of Heidelberg and director of the Heidelberg-K ...
worked together to create the first star atlas created by photographic plates, the
Palisa–Wolf Sternkarten, published in 1899, 1902, 1908.
In 1908, Palisa published the Sternenlexikon, mapping the skies from declinations −1° to +19°.
That same year, he became the vice director of the Vienna Observatory. He retired from administrative duties in 1919, but kept observation rights. Palisa continued to discover asteroids until 1923. He died on 2 May 1925.
Discoveries
Between 1874 and 1923 Palisa discovered 122
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...
s ranging from
136 Austria
Austria ( minor planet designation: 136 Austria) is a main-belt asteroid that was found by the prolific asteroid discoverer Johann Palisa on 18 March 1874, from the Austrian Naval Observatory in Pola, Istria. It was his first asteroid discov ...
to
1073 Gellivara and the much later numbered Mars-crosser
14309 Defoy, respectively ''(see table below)''.
He made his discoveries at the Austrian Naval Observatory at Pola and at the
Vienna Observatory. He also discovered the parabolic comet
C/1879 Q1 in August 1879.
One of his discoveries was
253 Mathilde
Mathilde ( minor planet designation: 253 Mathilde) is an asteroid in the intermediate asteroid belt, approximately 50 kilometers in diameter, that was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at Vienna Observatory on 12 November 1885. It ...
, a 50-kilometer sized
C-type asteroid in the intermediate asteroid belt, which was visited by the
NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft on 27 June 1997. The robotic probe passed within 1200 km of Mathilde at 12:56 UT at 9.93 km/s, returning imaging and other instrument data including over 500 images which covered 60% of Mathilde's surface.
Only a small number of minor planets have been
visited by spacecraft.
Palisa made all of his asteroid discoveries visually. Even though
Max Wolf
Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (21 June 1863 – 3 October 1932) was a German astronomer and a pioneer in the field of astrophotography. He was the chairman of astronomy at the University of Heidelberg and director of the Heidelberg-K ...
had revolutionised the process of asteroid discovery by introducing
photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...
in the 1890s,
Palisa continued to trust on visual observations. His final discovery,
1073 Gellivara, was the last asteroid that was found visually. Johann Palisa remains the most successful visual (non-photographic) asteroid discoverer of all time.
Family
Palisa married his second wife, Anna Benda, in 1902. Asteroid
734 Benda
734 Benda ('' prov. designation:'' ''or'' ) is a large background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at the Vienna Observatory on 11 October 19 ...
is named after her. He also named minor planets after other members of his family:
320 Katharina after his mother, Katherina,
321 Florentina
Florentina (minor planet designation: 321 Florentina) is a typical Asteroid belt, Main belt asteroid.
It was discovered by Johann Palisa on 15 October 1891 in Vienna. He named the asteroid for his daughter, Florentine. Between 1874 and 1923, Pali ...
for his daughter Florentine.
His granddaughter was Gertrud Rheden, wife of astronomer
Joseph Rheden
Joseph Rheden (5 April 1873 – 6 August 1946) was an Austrian astronomer, born in Amlach, East Tyrol, known for his astrographic observations of planets, minor planets and comets, and for the asteroids 744 Aguntina, 771 Libera, and 844 Leo ...
. Asteroid
710 Gertrud
710 Gertrud is a Themistian asteroid, which means it is a member of the Themis family of asteroids. It was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on 28 February 1911 from Vienna.
The light curve
In astronomy, a light curve is a gra ...
is named after her.
Honors and awards
In 1876 Palisa was awarded the
Lalande Prize.
Palisa was awarded the
Valz Prize
The Valz Prize ''(Prix Valz)'' was awarded by the French Academy of Sciences, from 1877 through 1970, to honor advances in astronomy.
History
The Valz Prize was established in June 1874 when the widow of astronomer Benjamin Valz, Marie Madeleine J ...
from the
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at ...
in 1906.
The Phocaea main-belt asteroid
914 Palisana, discovered by Max Wolf in 1919, and the lunar crater ''
Palisa'' were named in his honour.
Minor planets
902 Probitas,
975 Perseverantia
975 Perseverantia is a minor planet orbiting the Sun that was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on 27 March 1922.
This is a member of the dynamic Koronis family of asteroids that most likely formed as the result of a collisional ...
, and
996 Hilaritas that he discovered were given names after his death for traits qualities associated with him: adherence to the highest principles and ideals, perseverance and happy or contented mind. Names were given by
Joseph Rheden
Joseph Rheden (5 April 1873 – 6 August 1946) was an Austrian astronomer, born in Amlach, East Tyrol, known for his astrographic observations of planets, minor planets and comets, and for the asteroids 744 Aguntina, 771 Libera, and 844 Leo ...
with the support of Palisa's second wife, Anna.
Minor planet
1152 Pawona is named after both Johann Palisa and
Max Wolf
Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (21 June 1863 – 3 October 1932) was a German astronomer and a pioneer in the field of astrophotography. He was the chairman of astronomy at the University of Heidelberg and director of the Heidelberg-K ...
, in recognition of their cooperation. The name was proposed by Swedish astronomer Bror Ansgar Asplind. ''Pawona'' is a combination of "Palisa" and "Wolf" (Pa, Wo) joined with a Latin feminine suffix.
References
External links
Portraits of Johann Palisa from the Lick Observatory Records Digital Archive, UC Santa Cruz Library's Digital Collections
Obituaries
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palisa, Johann
1848 births
1925 deaths
19th-century Austrian astronomers
Discoverers of asteroids
Discoverers of comets
People from Austrian Silesia
People from Opava
University of Vienna alumni
Recipients of the Lalande Prize
20th-century Austrian astronomers