Karl Theodor Robert Luther (16 April 1822,

Świdnica Świdnica (; ; ) is a city on the Bystrzyca (Oder), Bystrzyca River in south-western Poland in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. As of 2021, it has a population of 55,413 inhabitants. It is the seat of Świdnica County, and also of the smaller dis ...

– 15 February 1900

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

), normally published as Robert Luther, 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 ...

. While working at the Bilk Observatory in Düsseldorf, Germany, he searched for

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

s and discovered 24 of them between 1852 and 1890. Seven times Lalande Prize winner.

Biography

Karl Theodor Robert Luther was born on 16 April 1822 to August Luther and Wilhelmine von Ende. He was home schooled and studied in the local high school. In 1841, he moved to Breslau where he studied until 1843. In 1843 Luther moved to Berlin to study astronomy. He was a student of

Johann Franz Encke Johann Franz Encke (; 23 September 179126 August 1865) was a German astronomer. Among his activities, he worked on the calculation of the periods of comets and asteroids, measured the distance from the Earth to the Sun, and made observations ...

and helped him in his astronomical calculations and creating the astronomical almanac. In 1850 he became a second observer. In 1851,

Franz Brünnow Franz Friedrich Ernst Brünnow (18 November 1821 – 20 August 1891) was a German astronomer. He was the first foreigner to become director of an American observatory, serving as director of Detroit Observatory (at the University of Michig ...

invited Luther to the Düsseldorf-Bilk Observatory to become a director of the observatory after him. Luther married Caroline (nee Marker) and they had one son, William. Luther died in 1900 after a short illness in

Discoveries

Luther discovered 24

s between 1852 and 1890. Two of his discoveries are now known to have unusual properties: 90 Antiope, a binary asteroid with equal components, and the extremely slow-rotating 288 Glauke.

Honors and awards

The asteroid

1303 Luthera 1303 Luthera, provisional designation , is a dark asteroid and the parent body of the Luthera family, located in the outermost regions of the asteroid belt. It measures approximately 90 kilometers in diameter. The asteroid was discovered on 16 M ...

and the lunar crater '' Luther'' were named in his honour. He was awarded the Lalande Prize seven times, in 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1859, 1860 and 1861.

Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

since June 1854., digitized=13 Jul 2010 In 1869, a commemorative medal honoring the discovery of the 100th asteroid shows the profiles of John Russel Hind, Hermann Goldschmidt and Robert Luther.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luther, Karl Theodor Robert 1822 births 1900 deaths Discoverers of asteroids * 19th-century German astronomers Recipients of the Lalande Prize Astronomers from the Kingdom of Prussia