Karl Ludwig Harding

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox scientist Karl Ludwig Harding (29 September 1765 – 31 August 1834) was a German astronomer, who discovered Juno, the third asteroid of the main-belt in 1804.

Life and career

Harding was born in Lauenburg. From 1786–1789, he was educated at the University of Göttingen, where he studied theology, mathematics, and physics.<ref name="BEoA" /> In 1796, Johann Hieronymus Schröter hired Harding as a tutor for his son. Schröter was an enthusiastic astronomer and owner of a well-equipped observatory in Lilienthal near Bremen, where Harding was soon appointed observer and inspector.

In 1800, he was among the 24 astronomers invited to participate in the celestial police, a group dedicated to finding additional planets in the Solar System. As part of the group, in 1804, Harding discovered Juno at Schröter's observatory. In the next year he left Lilienthal, where his successor became Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel, as he was appointed extraordinary professor of astronomy at the University of Göttingen, since 1812 as ordinary professor. He worked at Göttingen Observatory, since 1807 as colleague of Carl Friedrich Gauss, until his sudden death in 1834.<ref name="NIE" /><ref name="BEoA" />

In addition to Juno, he discovered three comets and the variable stars R Virginis, R Aquarii, R Serpentis and S Serpentis.<ref name="Zsoldos1994"/> Furthermore, he found some new nebulae,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> among them being the Helix Nebula or "the Eye of God". His main opus was the Atlas novus coelestis, the first star atlas without splendid but confusing mythological figures.

Honours and awards

Harding was corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Göttingen since 1803 and full member since 1806,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences since 1810,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> elected as member of the Royal Society in London in 1806,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and associate member of the Royal Astronomical Society since 1821.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From the government he was awarded the title "Hofrath" (Councillor of the court).Template:Sfn

In 1804, he was awarded the Lalande Prize.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The lunar crater Harding and the asteroid 2003 Harding are named in his honor.<ref name="springer-Harding" />

Works

Minor planets discovered: 1<ref name="MPC-Discoverers" />

3 Juno

1 September 1804

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• Atlas novus coelestis (1808–1823; re-edited by Jahn, 1856) which catalogued 120,000 stars
• Kleine astronomische Ephemeriden (edited with Wiessen, 1830–35)
• Hora XV and XXIII of the series Berliner Akademische Sternkarten (Berlin Academic Star Charts) (1826, 1830)

References

• Template:Cite ADBTemplate:Sfn whitelist
• Template:NDB
• N. N.: Biographical notice of Professor Harding. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 3 (1835), S. 86 (Orbituary)

External links

• Publications by K. L. Harding in Astrophysics Data System