Hermann Kobold (5 August 1858 – 11 June 1942) was a German
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
.
Biography
Hermann Albert Kobold was born in
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
,
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...
, the third of five children of the carpenter August Kobold and his wife Dorothea Kobold (née Brandt). From 1877 to 1880, he studied mathematics and natural sciences at the
University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...
and attained a doctorate in astronomy in July 1880 with
Wilhelm Klinkerfues as his adviser.
Subsequently, he was an assistant at the private observatory of
Miklos von Konkoly-Thege in Ógyalla, Hungary (now
Hurbanovo
Hurbanovo (until 1948 ''Stará Ďala'', , ) is a town and large municipality in the Komárno District in the Nitra Region of south-west Slovakia. In 1948, its Slovak name was changed to Hurbanovo, named after Slovak writer Jozef Miloslav Hurban.
...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
). After the participation in an expedition to observe the 1882
transit of Venus
A transit of Venus takes place when Venus passes directly between the Sun and the Earth (or any other superior planet), becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a transit, Venus is visible as ...
in
Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken is the most populous city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. According to 2020 census, the population was 32,025, making it the 15th-most populous city in South Carolina, and one of the two largest ci ...
, he worked in Berlin some years analysing data from the observation.
Life in Strasbourg
In 1887, Kobold was appointed to the observatory in
Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin department and the official seat of the European Parliament.
The cit ...
(
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
at the time). That same year, he married Dorothea Brandt, with whom he had five children. In 1888, he became a private lecturer and in 1900
extraordinary professor
Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.
Overview
Appointment grades
* (Pay grade: ''W3'' or ''W2'')
* (''W3'')
* (''W2'')
* (''W2'', ...
(''außerordentlicher Professor)'' at the
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg (, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Johannes Sturm, it was a center of intellectual life during ...
; two years later, he went to the
University of Kiel
Kiel University, officially the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, (, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the ''Academia Holsator ...
as an observator and extraordinary professor.
By intensive observations he discovered 22 previously unknown, smaller galaxies of the Coma galaxy cluster.
''Astronomische Nachrichten''
From 1908 to 1938, he was the publisher of the astronomy journal ''
Astronomische Nachrichten
''Astronomische Nachrichten'' (''Astronomical Notes''), one of the first international journals in the field of astronomy, was established in 1821 by the German astronomer Heinrich Christian Schumacher. It claims to be the oldest astronomical jour ...
''. An asteroid discovered by
Karl William Reinmuth received the name
1164 Kobolda in Kobold's honor in the 1930s.
Death
On 11 June 1942, Kobold died in
Kiel, Germany
Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Bay of Kiel ...
.
External links
*
Chasing Venus, Observing the Transits of Venus' Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Literature by and about Hermann Koboldin the catalog of the
German National Library
The German National Library (DNB; ) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to collect, permanently archive, comprehens ...
Portrait and list of discoveries by Kobold
Life memories of Hermann Kobold (PDF)
20th-century German astronomers
University of Göttingen alumni
1858 births
1942 deaths
Recipients of the Lalande Prize
19th-century German astronomers
Academic staff of the University of Kiel
{{Germany-astronomer-stub