![Medal Luther Goldschmidt Hind](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Medal_Luther_Goldschmidt_Hind.jpg)
Karl Theodor Robert Luther (April 16, 1822,
Świdnica
Świdnica (; german: Schweidnitz; cs, Svídnice; szl, Świdńica) is a city in south-western Poland in the region of Silesia. As of 2019, it has a population of 57,014 inhabitants. It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, being the seventh large ...
– February 15, 1900
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...
), normally published as Robert Luther, 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, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...
. While working at the
Bilk Observatory
Bilk is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') of Düsseldorf. Together with Oberbilk, Unterbilk, Hamm, Flehe and Volmerswerth it constitutes Borough 3, which is the most populous borough of Düsseldorf. Bilk has an area of , and 41,150 inhabitants (2020) ...
in Düsseldorf, Germany, he searched for
asteroids and discovered 24 of them between 1852 and 1890.
Seven times
Lalande Prize
The Lalande Prize (French: ''Prix Lalande'' also known as Lalande Medal) was an award for scientific advances in astronomy, given from 1802 until 1970 by the French Academy of Sciences.
The prize was endowed by astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 180 ...
winner.
Biography
Karl Theodor Robert Luther was born on April 16, 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 Michiga ...
invited Luther to the
Düsseldorf-Bilk Observatory
The Sternwarte Düsseldorf (a.k.a. Sternwarte Bilk, Sternwarte Charlottenruhe; Bilk Observatory or Düsseldorf-Bilk Observatory in English) in Düsseldorf-Bilk was a private observatory founded in 1843 by Johann Friedrich Benzenberg. The observat ...
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 ]Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...
.[
]
Discoveries
Luther discovered 24 of them between 1852 and 1890.
Two of his discoveries are now known to have unusual properties: 90 Antiope
Antiope ( minor planet designation: 90 Antiope) is a double asteroid in the outer asteroid belt. It was discovered on October 1, 1866, by Robert Luther. In 2000, it was found to consist of two almost-equally-sized bodies orbiting each other. At ...
, a binary asteroid with equal components, and the extremely slow-rotating 288 Glauke
Glauke ( minor planet designation: 288 Glauke) is a stony, tumbling asteroid and slow rotator from the intermediate asteroid belt, approximately 32 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 20 February 1890, by Robert Luther at Düsseldorf-B ...
.
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 ...
and the lunar crater ''Luther
Luther may refer to:
People
* Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation
* Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement
* Luther (give ...
'' were named in his honour.
He was awarded the Lalande Prize
The Lalande Prize (French: ''Prix Lalande'' also known as Lalande Medal) was an award for scientific advances in astronomy, given from 1802 until 1970 by the French Academy of Sciences.
The prize was endowed by astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 180 ...
seven times, in 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1859, 1860 and 1861.
Royal Astronomical Society
(Whatever shines should be observed)
, predecessor =
, successor =
, formation =
, founder =
, extinction =
, merger =
, merged =
, type = NG ...
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
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
Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt (June 17, 1802 – August 30 or September 10 1866) was a German-French astronomer and painter who spent much of his life in France. He started out as a painter, but after attending a lecture by the famous Fren ...
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