Hermann Ebert (20 June 1861 in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

– 12 February 1913 in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

) was a German

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

. From 1881 he studied

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

and

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

, where he was a student of Heinrich Bruns and Gustav Wiedemann. After graduation, he relocated to the

University of Erlangen A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

as an assistant to Eilhard Wiedemann, the son of his former instructor. In 1894 he was chosen as an associate professor of

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict List of natural phenomena, natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental p ...

in Leipzig, and later the same year, he became a professor of

experimental physics Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and o ...

at the

University of Kiel Kiel University, officially the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, (, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the ''Academia Holsator ...

. From 1898 onward, he was a professor of experimental physics at the Technical University in Munich.translated biography
@ NDB/ADB Deutsche Biographie His earlier scientific work dealt largely with subjects such as

spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. In narrower contexts, spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectro ...

and electric discharges in gases. While at

, he conducted important, pioneer research of

atmospheric electricity Atmospheric electricity describes the electrical charges in the Earth's atmosphere (or that of another planet). The movement of charge between the Earth's surface, the atmosphere, and the ionosphere is known as the global atmospheric electrica ...

. His other scientific interests included

solar physics Solar physics is the branch of astrophysics that specializes in the study of the Sun. It intersects with many disciplines of pure physics and astrophysics. Because the Sun is uniquely situated for close-range observing (other stars cannot be re ...

zodiacal light The zodiacal light (also called false dawn when seen before sunrise) is a faint glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. Brighter around the Sun, it appears in a particularly dark night sky to extend from the Sun's direct ...

lunar craters Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, all of which were formed by impacts. The International Astronomical Union currently recognizes 9,137 craters, of which 1,675 have been dated. History The wo ...

atmospheric optics Atmospheric optics is "the study of the optical characteristics of the atmosphere or products of atmospheric processes .... ncludingtemporal and spatial resolutions beyond those discernible with the naked eye". Meteorological optics is "that par ...

and the

Earth's magnetic field Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from structure of Earth, Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from ...

. His name is associated with the "Ebert-Fastie spectrometer", an

optical device Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultravio ...

built by

William George Fastie William George Fastie (6 December 1916 – 14 July 2000) was an American optical physicist and spectroscopist who played a part in the Johns Hopkins University space program of the late 1950s. Early years Fastie was born on December 6, 1916 ...

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

based on Ebert's design of a

monochromator A monochromator is an optics, optical device that transmits a mechanically selectable narrow band of wavelengths of light or other radiation chosen from a wider range of wavelengths available at the input. The name is . Uses A device that can ...

in 1889, and "Ebert's apparatus", an

electrometer An electrometer is an electrical instrument for measuring electric charge or electrical potential difference. There are many different types, ranging from historical handmade mechanical instruments to high-precision electronic devices. Modern ...

used to measure the concentration of atmospheric

ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

Published works

He was the author of many works on numerous subjects in physics, including ''Magnetische Kraftfelder: Die Erscheinungen des Magnetismus, Elektromagnetismus und der Induktion dargestellt auf Grund des Kraftlinien Begriffes'', later translated into English and published as: "Magnetic fields of force; an exposition of the phenomena of magnetism, electro-magnetism and induction based on the conception of lines of force". The following are a few of his other writings: * ''Zwei Formen von Spectrographen'', 1889 - Two forms of

spectrography Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. In narrower contexts, spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectrosc ...

. * ''Ueber Kathodoluminescenz'', 1894 - On

cathode A cathode is the electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device such as a lead-acid battery. This definition can be recalled by using the mnemonic ''CCD'' for ''Cathode Current Departs''. Conventional curren ...

luminescence. * ''Zur Mechanik der Glimmlichtphänomene'', 1899 - The mechanics of "glow phenomena". * ''Aëronautische Meteorologie und Physik der Atmosphäre'', 1902 - Aeronautic

meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...

and

atmospheric physics Within the atmospheric sciences, atmospheric physics is the application of physics to the study of the atmosphere. Atmospheric physicists attempt to model Earth's atmosphere and the atmospheres of the other planets using fluid flow equations, rad ...

. * ''Die Elektrophysik und die Theorie des Elektromagnetismus'', 1902 (with Curt Heinke) - Electrical physics and the theory of

electromagnetism In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge via electromagnetic fields. The electromagnetic force is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. It is the dominant force in the interacti ...

. * ''Physikalisches Praktikum'', 1904 (with Eilhard Wiedemann) - Practical physics.Google Search
(published works)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ebert, Hermann 1861 births 1913 deaths Scientists from Leipzig 19th-century German physicists Academic staff of the Technical University of Munich Academic staff of the University of Kiel Academic staff of Leipzig University Leipzig University alumni 20th-century German physicists