Christian Friis Rottbøll Olufsen (15 April 1802 – 29 May 1855) was a Danish astronomer and professor of astronomy at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

. Olufsen was born in Copenhagen where his father

Oluf Christian Olufsen Olaf of Denmark – Danish: ''Oluf'' - may refer to: * Olaf I of Denmark * Olaf II of Denmark no, Olav Håkonsson , house = Bjelbo , father = Haakon VI of Norway , mother = Margaret I of Denmark , birth_date = ...

(1764-1827) was an economist and teacher (also known for his 1793 play, ''Gulddaasen'' or "Golden Snuffbox"). He grew up in Classens Have where his father taught at the agricultural institute. After some home schooling he joined Borgerdydskolen in 1812 where he excelled so much that the school thought he should already be sent to university, a proposal prevented by his father. He then went to university where he studied under C.F. Degenand and

Erasmus Georg Fog Thune Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

. He received the gold medal in 1824 for his study on eclipse calculations and became an assistant at the observatory. He received a scholarship to study under F.W. Bessel in Königsberg where he interacted with K.A. Steinheil and W. van Struve. He spent some time at the Hamburg observatory and in 1831 joined Copenhagen University as an associate professor. In 1840 he received a doctorate and became professor ordinarius in astronomy. He contributed to studies on the perturbation of the earth, solar tables, errors in measurement, and on the foundations of astronomy as begun by Bessel. He married Magdalene Frederikke Münter in 1809.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Olufsen, Christian 1802 births 1855 deaths Danish astronomers