Johann Georg Palitzsch (11 June 1723 – 21 February 1788) was a German
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, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...
who became famous for recovering Comet 1P/Halley (better known as
Halley's Comet) on Christmas Day, 1758.
[Hoffmann, Christian Gotthold (1759 January 20) "Nachricht von dem Kometen, welcher seit dem 25. December gesehen wird" (News of the comet, which has been seen since the 25th of December), ''Dreßdnischen Gelehrten Anzeigen'', 2nd issue.] The periodic nature of this comet had been deduced by its namesake
Edmond Halley in 1705, but Halley had died before seeing if his prediction would come true.
Raised to become a successful farmer under a strict stepfather, Palitzsch secretly studied as much astronomy as he could from the books he could afford. He learned contemporary astronomy from the book “Vorhof der Sternwissenschaft” (“The Forecourt of Astronomy”) by Christian Pescheck. He learned Latin and, at age 21, inherited the farm, which allowed him to construct his own botanical garden, library, laboratory, and museum.
He received support from various benefactors, including the future
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
. But the
wars between Prussia and Austria interrupted his ambitions.
Upon his death on 21 February 1788 Palitzsch left behind a library of 3518 books, partly consisting of handwritten copies he had created from scientific works too expensive for him to purchase.
A
crater
Crater may refer to:
Landforms
*Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet
*Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surfac ...
and a
''vallis'' (valley) on the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
are named after him.
The
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.
...
11970 Palitzsch also is named after him.
References
External links
* http://messier.seds.org/xtra/Bios/palitzsch.html
Homepage of the Palitzsch-Museum
1723 births
1788 deaths
18th-century German astronomers
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