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Wilhelm Klinkerfues

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238:"It would be useless and almost impossible to attempt to describe how the warm-hearted and genial astronomer failed to take that position amongst his colleagues to which his undoubtedly great natural talents entitled him. His extreme carelessness in late years in his outward appearances was certainly much against him, but the unflagging zeal with which he delivered a whole course of lectures, if need were, even to a single student, ought to have told in his favour, as to some extent it doubtless did." 28: 220:, patented in 1877, that was later manufactured in Göttingen by Wilhelm Lambrecht. His weather forecasts, published in newspapers, proved to be often incorrect, which led to them cruelly parodying his last name as "Flunkerkies". Undeterred by this criticism, he published a book on the hygrometer's use in 1875, and developed a detonator for use in Göttingen's gas street lighting. He also continued to supervise doctoral students, one of whom was 233:
noted, he published many papers that were "singularly readable, and often contained the most original and suggestive ideas. Occasionally, indeed, they were altogether of a quaintly humorous character, introducing, for instance, the alleged wonderful discoveries of an imaginary Professor Monkhouse".
198:. He was finally appointed "director for practical astronomy" at Göttingen in 1868. However, the role of Klinkerfues' section of the observatory was solely to deal with practical work, the theoretical work being placed in the hands of 155:, the son of army doctor Johann Reinhard Klinkerfues and his wife Sabine (née Dedolph). After the early death of his parents, he was brought up by relatives, and after attending high school qualified as a surveyor in 202:. Klinkerfues was, like his predecessor, allowed to live in the eastern wing of the observatory, but the division of the observatory's organisation between the two teams was to be a source of constant conflict. 262:
The ongoing conflicts in the observatory, declining health, financial problems and further disappointments drove him to shoot himself on 28 January 1884. His university colleagues had to pay for his funeral.
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Klinkerfues was plagued by debt for much of his life, exacerbated by ill-advised business ventures. He attempted to persevere with his astronomical work, in the course of which, as his obituary in the
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Klinkerfues described how the orbits of celestial bodies in the solar system could be calculated. In the same period he compiled a catalogue of around 6900 observed stars.
182:. After Gauss's death in 1855, the mathematician W. E. Weber replaced him as director, but Klinkerfues was to be temporarily responsible for the observatory from 1861. 229: 474:
Portrait of Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfuss from the Lick Observatory Records Digital Archive, UC Santa Cruz Library's Digital Collections
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From 1847 to 1851 Klinkerfues studied mathematics and astronomy at the University of
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Nevertheless, he continued to encounter problems with professional advancement:
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Im Schatten des Titanen – das tragische Leben des Astronomen Klinkerfues
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that had gathered dust in the observatory library for 130 years.
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Klinkerfues discovered 6 comets, and in 1860 led an expedition to
167: 426:(ADB). Bd. 51, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1906, S. 231–233. 156: 191: 52: 403:
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 45
247: 433:. Teile I bis IV. Göttinger Monatsblätter, März–Juni 1975 244:
Tobias Mayer's grössere Mondkarte nebst Detailzeichnungen
159:. In this capacity he subsequently worked on the new 230:Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 480: 365:The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers 212:Klinkerfues also had an abiding interest in 26: 398: 396: 481: 361: 393: 125:Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues 42:Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues 13: 14: 520: 437: 282:, as were 6 non-periodic comets: 170:. He then became an assistant to 504:19th-century German astronomers 336:Theorie des Bifilar-Hygrometers 424:Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 355: 342:Prinzipien der Spektralanalyse 1: 348: 146: 7: 250:map and set of drawings by 131:– 28 January 1884 in 32:Wilhelm Klinkerfues in 1884 10: 525: 412: 266: 185: 118: 108: 98: 91: 83: 60: 37: 25: 18: 323: 257: 151:Klinkerfues was born in 362:Hockey, Thomas (2009). 330:Theoretische Astronomie 207:Theoretische Astronomie 499:People from Hofgeismar 240: 509:Discoverers of comets 242:In 1881 he published 236: 176:Göttingen Observatory 420:Klinkerfues, Wilhelm 172:Carl Friedrich Gauss 370:Springer Publishing 280:named in his honour 20:Wilhelm Klinkerfues 418:Siegmund GĂĽnther: 276:112328 Klinkerfues 163:- Kassel railway. 127:(29 March 1827 in 379:978-0-387-31022-0 307:(a.k.a. 1857 III) 295:(a.k.a. 1854 III) 289:(a.k.a. 1853 III) 205:In his 1871 book 122: 121: 109:Doctoral students 93:Scientific career 516: 452: 406: 400: 391: 390: 388: 386: 359: 319:(a.k.a. 1863 II) 301:(a.k.a. 1854 IV) 67: 30: 16: 15: 524: 523: 519: 518: 517: 515: 514: 513: 479: 478: 450: 440: 415: 410: 409: 401: 394: 384: 382: 380: 360: 356: 351: 326: 313:(a.k.a. 1857 V) 269: 260: 216:, developing a 188: 149: 135:) was a German 79: 69: 65: 64:28 January 1884 56: 46: 44: 43: 33: 21: 12: 11: 5: 522: 512: 511: 506: 501: 496: 491: 477: 476: 471: 462: 453: 439: 438:External links 436: 435: 434: 427: 414: 411: 408: 407: 392: 378: 353: 352: 350: 347: 346: 345: 339: 333: 325: 322: 321: 320: 314: 308: 302: 296: 290: 268: 265: 259: 256: 222:Hermann Kobold 200:Ernst Schering 187: 184: 148: 145: 120: 119: 116: 115: 110: 106: 105: 100: 96: 95: 89: 88: 85: 81: 80: 70: 68:(aged 56) 62: 58: 57: 47: 41: 39: 35: 34: 31: 23: 22: 19: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 521: 510: 507: 505: 502: 500: 497: 495: 492: 490: 487: 486: 484: 475: 472: 470: 468: 463: 461: 459: 454: 449: 447: 442: 441: 432: 429:H. Michling: 428: 425: 421: 417: 416: 404: 399: 397: 381: 375: 371: 367: 366: 358: 354: 343: 340: 337: 334: 332:, 1871, 1899, 331: 328: 327: 318: 315: 312: 309: 306: 303: 300: 297: 294: 291: 288: 285: 284: 283: 281: 277: 274: 264: 255: 253: 249: 245: 239: 235: 232: 231: 225: 223: 219: 215: 210: 208: 203: 201: 197: 196:solar eclipse 194:to observe a 193: 183: 181: 177: 173: 169: 164: 162: 158: 154: 144: 142: 141:meteorologist 138: 134: 130: 126: 117: 114: 113:Wilhelm Schur 111: 107: 104: 101: 97: 94: 90: 86: 82: 77: 73: 63: 59: 54: 50: 45:29 March 1827 40: 36: 29: 24: 17: 466: 457: 448:(1884) 65/66 445: 430: 423: 419: 402: 383:. Retrieved 364: 357: 341: 335: 329: 270: 261: 252:Tobias Mayer 243: 241: 237: 228: 226: 211: 206: 204: 189: 180:double stars 165: 150: 124: 123: 92: 76:Lower Saxony 66:(1884-01-28) 494:1884 deaths 489:1827 births 451:(in German) 214:meteorology 84:Nationality 483:Categories 469:(1884) 117 460:(1885) 203 385:August 22, 349:References 246:, a large 218:hygrometer 153:Hofgeismar 147:Early life 137:astronomer 129:Hofgeismar 49:Hofgeismar 317:C/1863 G1 311:C/1857 Q1 305:C/1857 M1 299:C/1854 R1 293:C/1854 L1 287:C/1853 L1 161:Frankfurt 133:Göttingen 103:Astronomy 78:, Germany 72:Göttingen 55:, Germany 273:asteroid 413:Sources 405:, p.207 168:Marburg 456:MNRAS 422:. In: 376:  344:, 1879 338:, 1875 267:Honors 186:Career 157:Kassel 99:Fields 87:German 324:Works 258:Death 192:Spain 53:Hesse 465:Obs 387:2012 374:ISBN 271:The 248:Moon 139:and 61:Died 38:Born 446:108 444:AN 278:is 174:at 485:: 458:45 395:^ 372:. 368:. 224:. 74:, 51:, 467:7 389:.

Index


Hofgeismar
Hesse
Göttingen
Lower Saxony
Astronomy
Wilhelm Schur
Hofgeismar
Göttingen
astronomer
meteorologist
Hofgeismar
Kassel
Frankfurt
Marburg
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Göttingen Observatory
double stars
Spain
solar eclipse
Ernst Schering
meteorology
hygrometer
Hermann Kobold
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Moon
Tobias Mayer
asteroid
112328 Klinkerfues
named in his honour

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