Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth (4 April 1892 in Heidelberg – 6 May 1979 in Heidelberg) was a German astronomer and a prolific discoverer of 395 minor planets.

Scientific career

From 1912 to 1957, Reinmuth was working as an astronomer at the

Heidelberg Observatory Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students. ...

(german: Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl) an

astronomical observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

on the Königstuhl hill above Heidelberg in southern Germany. He was a member at the minor planet studies group at Astronomisches Rechen-Institut between 1947 and 1950, and later became "Oberobservator" or chief-observer at Heidelberg Observatory until his retirement in 1957. Reinmuth obtained more than 12,500 precise

astrometric Astrometry is a branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. It provides the kinematics and physical origin of the Solar System and this galaxy, the Milky Way. Histor ...

measurements of minor planets' positions on photographic plates, an enormous accomplishment before computer-based assistance existed.

Honours

The outer main-belt asteroid

1111 Reinmuthia 1111 Reinmuthia ( ''prov. designation'': ) is a very elongated asteroid from the background population, located in the outer region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 11 February 1927, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelber ...

, discovered by himself at Heidelberg in 1912, was named in his honour ().

Discoveries

Among his most notable discoveries are the two near-Earth objects (NEOs)

1862 Apollo 1862 Apollo is a stony asteroid, approximately 1.5 kilometers in diameter, classified as a near-Earth object (NEO). It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory on 24 April 1932, but lost and not recovered until ...

, the namesake of the Apollo group which became the largest group of asteroids within the NEO category with nearly 8,000 members, and 69230 Hermes, famous for being a lost asteroid for more than half a century until its recovery in 2003, and for being the only unnumbered but named asteroid during that period. He also discovered several large Jupiter trojans including

911 Agamemnon 911 Agamemnon, provisional designation ', is a large Jupiter trojan and a suspected binary asteroid from the Greek camp, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 19 March 1919, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observat ...

1143 Odysseus 1143 Odysseus , provisional designation ', is a large Jupiter trojan located in the Greek camp of Jupiter's orbit. It was discovered on 28 January 1930, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany, and ...

1172 Äneas 1172 Äneas is a large Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 17 October 1930, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The dark D-type asteroid is one of the ...

1173 Anchises 1173 Anchises is an unusually elongated Jupiter Trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 17 October 1930, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany, and was the 9th ...

1208 Troilus 1208 Troilus is a large and notably inclined Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 31 December 1931, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany. The unusual ...

1404 Ajax 1404 Ajax is a carbonaceous Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 August 1936, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany, and named after the le ...

1437 Diomedes 1437 Diomedes is a large Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 3 August 1937, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany. The dark D/P-type ast ...

and

1749 Telamon 1749 Telamon is a dark Jupiter Trojan from the Greek camp, approximately in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory on 23 September 1949, and named after Telamon from Greek mythology. The D-ty ...

. The main-belt asteroid

5535 Annefrank 5535 Annefrank (), provisional designation , is a stony Florian asteroid and suspected contact binary from the inner asteroid belt, approximately 4.5 kilometers in diameter. It was used as a target to practice the flyby technique that the Stard ...

, which he discovered in 1942 during World War II, was later visited by the Stardust spacecraft in 2002. His lowest numbered minor planet discovery is

796 Sarita 796 Sarita is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It was discovered 15 October 1914 by German astronomer Karl W. Reinmuth. This is a main belt that is orbiting at a radius of with a period of and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.32. The orbital pla ...

, an

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. ...

from the middle region of the main-belt. Reinmuth also discovered two

periodic comet Periodic comets (also known as short-period comets) are comets with orbital periods of less than 200 years or that have been observed during more than a single perihelion passage (e.g. 153P/Ikeya–Zhang). "Periodic comet" is also sometimes used ...

s of the Jupiter family, namely 30P/Reinmuth and 44P/Reinmuth.

Meta-naming

The initials of the minor planets through , all discovered by Reinmuth, spell out "G. Stracke".

Gustav Stracke Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

was a German astronomer and orbit computer, who had asked that no planet be named after him. In this manner Reinmuth was able to honour the man whilst honouring his wish: * 1227 Geranium *

1228 Scabiosa 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit (measurement), unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment ...

* 1229 Tilia *

1230 Riceia 1230 Riceia, provisional designation , is a stony background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 9 October 1931, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelbe ...

1231 Auricula 1231 Auricula ( ''prov. designation'': ) is a carbonaceous background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 10 October 1931, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg ...

1232 Cortusa 1232 Cortusa, provisional designation , is a background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 10 October 1931, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest ...

* 1233 Kobresia *

1234 Elyna 1234 Elyna , provisional designation , is an Eoan asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 25 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 October 1931, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State ...

Later

1019 Strackea 1019 Strackea, provisional designation , is a stony Hungaria asteroid of the inner asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 March 1924, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany ...

, also discovered by Reinmuth, was named after Stracke.

List of discovered minor planets

Karl Reinmuth is credited by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

with the discovery of 395 minor planets made during 1914–1957, with an interruption from April 1943 to July 1949 due to the end and the aftermath of WWII.

Works

* The Herschel nebulas, De Gruyter, Berlin 1926 * Catalog of 6.500 exact photographic positions of small planets, brown, Karlsruhe 1953

References

External links

Obituaries

MPBu 7 (1979) 10

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reinmuth, Karl Wilhelm 1892 births 1979 deaths Discoverers of asteroids Discoverers of comets * 20th-century German astronomers Scientists from Heidelberg