Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt
Encyclopedia
Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt (June 17, 1802 – April 26, 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 French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier turned to astronomy. His discovery of the asteroid
Lutetia
in 1852 was followed by further findings and by 1861 Goldschmidt had discovered 14 asteroids. He received the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1861 for having discovered more asteroids than any other person up to that time. He died from complications of diabetes
.
as the son of a Jewish merchant. During a journey to Holland, Goldschmidt visited Dutch picture galleries. The impression of this visit convinced him to become a painter. He studied art in Munich
for several years under supervision of such famous painters as Peter von Cornelius
and Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
. To complete his education, in 1836 Goldschmidt went to Paris.
Several lectures on astronomy were planned for the occasion of the lunar eclipse of March 31, 1847. Urbain Le Verrier, discoverer of Neptune
, held one in the Sorbonne
. By pure chance, Goldshmidt attended this lecture, which awakened his interest in astronomy and led him to pursue it as a career.
Goldschmidt bought a telescope with the diameter of 23 lines
(52 millimetres (2 in)) with the money he got from selling two portraits of Galileo he painted during a stay in Florence
. Goldschmidt set up the telescope in his apartment on the sixth floor above the Café Procope
. Very soon he started updating the Star chart
s he had with new stars. During this work he observed the same area several times and was able to detect variable star
s and moving objects like planets. He discovered his first new planet (today classified as asteroid) on November 15, 1852. Goldschmidt confirmed his observations with the help of François Arago
at the Paris Observatory
on November 18. Arago suggested the name Lutetium, based on the Latin name of Paris Lutetia
used during the Roman occupation
. The discovery of the new planet was published on November 23.
In subsequent years, Goldschmidt bought larger telescopes, one with 30 lines diameter. Despite the limited observational capabilities of his instrument, which was inferior to those of most of his competitors, by May 1856 Goldschmidt had discovered four more asteroids. His next telescope was one with the diameter of 4 inches (10.2 cm). This technical improvement enabled him to discover nine asteroids between May 1857 and May 1861. During that period, the Academy of Science awarded Goldschmidt the astronomical prize medal several times, and he was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
in 1857. By the time of his final discovery in May 1861, the Royal Astronomical Society
had awarded him the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
for the discovery of 13 asteroids. At that point, the second most successful astronomer John Russell Hind
had discovered 10.
Goldschmidt combined his abilities as a painter with his love for astronomy as exemplified by his paintings of the Great Comet of 1858
and of the solar eclipse he observed in Spain July 1860
. In April 1861, he announced the discovery of a ninth moon
of Saturn
between Titan
and Hyperion
, which he named "Chiron". However, he was mistaken: this moon did not exist; today, "Chiron" is the name of an entirely different object, the unusual asteroid
/comet
2060 Chiron
. His updated star charts and the discovery of several variable stars were also appreciated by his colleagues.
Goldschmidt was never employed at the Paris Observatory
and therefore his income was insecure. However, in 1862 he was awarded a pension of 1500 francs. Because of his diabetes, Goldschmidt moved to Fontainebleau
, but his condition did not improve. He stayed in Fontainebleau for three years and died there on April 26, 1866.
The lunar
crater
Goldschmidt
is named after him. The crater is located in the northern polar region. To Honor Goldschmidt, the asteroid 1614 Goldschmidt
was named after him.
The Rosetta spacecraft
visited the asteroid Lutetia on July 10, 2010. During the fly-by, the instruments of the spacecraft, which is on its way to investigate a comet in 2014, took several pictures and collected scientific data about Lutetia. At that time, Lutetia became the largest asteroid ever visited by a space probe.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
who spent much of his life in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He started out as a painter, but after attending a lecture by the famous French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier turned to astronomy. His discovery of the asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
Lutetia
21 Lutetia
21 Lutetia is a large main-belt asteroid of an unusual spectral type. It measures about 100 kilometers in diameter . It was discovered in 1852 by Hermann Goldschmidt, and is named after Lutetia, the Latin name for Paris....
in 1852 was followed by further findings and by 1861 Goldschmidt had discovered 14 asteroids. He received the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
-History:In the early years, more than one medal was often awarded in a year, but by 1833 only one medal was being awarded per year. This caused a problem when Neptune was discovered in 1846, because many felt an award should jointly be made to John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier...
in 1861 for having discovered more asteroids than any other person up to that time. He died from complications of diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
.
Life and work
Goldschmidt was born in FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
as the son of a Jewish merchant. During a journey to Holland, Goldschmidt visited Dutch picture galleries. The impression of this visit convinced him to become a painter. He studied art in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
for several years under supervision of such famous painters as Peter von Cornelius
Peter von Cornelius
Peter von Cornelius was a German painter.Cornelius was born in Düsseldorf.His father, who was inspector of the Düsseldorf gallery, died in 1799, and the young Cornelius was stimulated to extraordinary exertions...
and Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld was a German painter.-Biography:Schnorr was born at Leipzig, where he received his earliest instruction from his father Johann Veit Schnorr , a draughtsman, engraver and painter...
. To complete his education, in 1836 Goldschmidt went to Paris.
Several lectures on astronomy were planned for the occasion of the lunar eclipse of March 31, 1847. Urbain Le Verrier, discoverer of Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
, held one in the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. By pure chance, Goldshmidt attended this lecture, which awakened his interest in astronomy and led him to pursue it as a career.
| 21 Lutetia 21 Lutetia 21 Lutetia is a large main-belt asteroid of an unusual spectral type. It measures about 100 kilometers in diameter . It was discovered in 1852 by Hermann Goldschmidt, and is named after Lutetia, the Latin name for Paris.... |
November 15, 1852 |
| 32 Pomona 32 Pomona 32 Pomona is a main-belt asteroid.Pomona was discovered by H. Goldschmidt on October 26, 1854. It is named after Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit trees.-Observations:... |
October 26, 1854 |
| 36 Atalante 36 Atalante 36 Atalante is a large, dark main-belt asteroid.It was discovered by H. Goldschmidt on October 5, 1855, and named after the Greek mythological heroine Atalanta .-References:... |
October 5, 1855 |
| 40 Harmonia 40 Harmonia 40 Harmonia is a large main-belt asteroid.It was discovered by H. Goldschmidt on March 31, 1856, and named after Harmonia, the Greek goddess of harmony. The name was chosen to mark the end of the Crimean War.-External links:* from JPL *... |
March 31, 1856 |
| 41 Daphne 41 Daphne 41 Daphne is a large main-belt asteroid. This dark-surfaced body is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous chondrites. It was discovered by H. Goldschmidt on May 22, 1856, and named after Daphne, the nymph in Greek mythology who was turned into a laurel tree. Daphne has been observed to... |
May 22, 1856 |
| 44 Nysa 44 Nysa 44 Nysa is a large and very bright main-belt asteroid, and the brightest member of the Nysian asteroid family. It is classified as a rare class E asteroid and is probably the largest of this type .-Discovery:... |
May 27, 1857 |
| 45 Eugenia 45 Eugenia 45 Eugenia is a large main-belt asteroid. It is famed as one of the first asteroids to be found to have a moon orbiting it. It is also the second known triple asteroid, after 87 Sylvia.- Discovery :... |
June 27, 1857 |
| 48 Doris 48 Doris 48 Doris is one of the largest main belt asteroids. It was discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt on September 19, 1857 from his balcony in Paris.-Name:... |
September 19, 1857 |
| 49 Pales 49 Pales 49 Pales is a large, dark main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt on September 19, 1857 from his balcony in Paris.The asteroid is named after Pales, the goddess of shepherds in Roman mythology. Since it was discovered on the same night as 48 Doris, geologist Élie de Beaumont... |
September 19, 1857 |
| 52 Europa 52 Europa 52 Europa is one of the larger asteroids in the asteroid belt, having a diameter of 300 km. It was discovered on February 4, 1858, by Hermann Goldschmidt from his balcony in Paris... |
February 4, 1858 |
| 54 Alexandra 54 Alexandra 54 Alexandra is a very large and dark main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt on September 10, 1858, and named after the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt; it was the first asteroid to be named after a male.... |
September 10, 1858 |
| 56 Melete 56 Melete 56 Melete is a large and dark main belt asteroid. It is a rather unusual P-type asteroid, probably composed of organic rich silicates, carbon and anhydrous silicates, with possible internal water ice.... |
September 9, 1857 |
| 61 Danaë 61 Danaë 61 Danaë is a moderately large, rocky main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt on September 9, 1860 from his balcony in Paris.... |
September 9, 1860 |
| 70 Panopaea 70 Panopaea 70 Panopaea is a large main belt asteroid. Its orbit is close to those of the Eunomia asteroid family; however, Panopaea is a dark, primitive carbonaceous C-type asteroid in contrast to the S-type asteroids of the Eunomian asteroids.... |
May 5, 1861 |
Goldschmidt bought a telescope with the diameter of 23 lines
Line (length)
The line is a unit of measurement, one line being equal to of an English inch. It was defined as one-quarter of a barleycorn, which defined the inch even before 1066. The French ligne was simarly defined as of the pouce...
(52 millimetres (2 in)) with the money he got from selling two portraits of Galileo he painted during a stay in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. Goldschmidt set up the telescope in his apartment on the sixth floor above the Café Procope
Café Procope
Café Procope, in rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, 6th arrondissement, is called the oldest restaurant of Paris in continuous operation. It was opened in 1694 by the Sicilian Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, with a slyly subversive name adopted from the historian Procopius, whose Secret History, the...
. Very soon he started updating the Star chart
Star chart
A star chart is a map of the night sky. Astronomers divide these into grids to use them more easily. They are used to identify and locate astronomical objects such as stars, constellations and galaxies. They have been used for human navigation since time immemorial...
s he had with new stars. During this work he observed the same area several times and was able to detect variable star
Variable star
A star is classified as variable if its apparent magnitude as seen from Earth changes over time, whether the changes are due to variations in the star's actual luminosity, or to variations in the amount of the star's light that is blocked from reaching Earth...
s and moving objects like planets. He discovered his first new planet (today classified as asteroid) on November 15, 1852. Goldschmidt confirmed his observations with the help of François Arago
François Arago
François Jean Dominique Arago , known simply as François Arago , was a French mathematician, physicist, astronomer and politician.-Early life and work:...
at the Paris Observatory
Paris Observatory
The Paris Observatory is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centres in the world...
on November 18. Arago suggested the name Lutetium, based on the Latin name of Paris Lutetia
Lutetia
Lutetia was a town in pre-Roman and Roman Gaul. The Gallo-Roman city was a forerunner of the re-established Merovingian town that is the ancestor of present-day Paris...
used during the Roman occupation
Roman Gaul
Roman Gaul consisted of an area of provincial rule in the Roman Empire, in modern day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and western Germany. Roman control of the area lasted for less than 500 years....
. The discovery of the new planet was published on November 23.
In subsequent years, Goldschmidt bought larger telescopes, one with 30 lines diameter. Despite the limited observational capabilities of his instrument, which was inferior to those of most of his competitors, by May 1856 Goldschmidt had discovered four more asteroids. His next telescope was one with the diameter of 4 inches (10.2 cm). This technical improvement enabled him to discover nine asteroids between May 1857 and May 1861. During that period, the Academy of Science awarded Goldschmidt the astronomical prize medal several times, and he was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1857. By the time of his final discovery in May 1861, the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
had awarded him the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
-History:In the early years, more than one medal was often awarded in a year, but by 1833 only one medal was being awarded per year. This caused a problem when Neptune was discovered in 1846, because many felt an award should jointly be made to John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier...
for the discovery of 13 asteroids. At that point, the second most successful astronomer John Russell Hind
John Russell Hind
John Russell Hind FRS was an English astronomer.- Life and work :John Russell Hind was born in 1823 in Nottingham, the son of lace manufacturer John Hind, and was educated at Nottingham High School...
had discovered 10.
Goldschmidt combined his abilities as a painter with his love for astronomy as exemplified by his paintings of the Great Comet of 1858
Comet Donati
Comet Donati, or Donati's Comet, formally designated C/1858 L1 and 1858 VI, is a long-period comet named after the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati who first observed it on June 2, 1858. After the Great Comet of 1811, it was the most brilliant comet that appeared in the 19th century. It...
and of the solar eclipse he observed in Spain July 1860
Solar eclipse of July 18, 1860
A total solar eclipse occurred on July 18, 1860. -References:* * * * * * Total Eclipses of the Sun, By Mabel Loomis Todd, 1894, new and revised edition by David P. Todd, 1900....
. In April 1861, he announced the discovery of a ninth moon
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
of Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
between Titan
Titan (moon)
Titan , or Saturn VI, is the largest moon of Saturn, the only natural satellite known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found....
and Hyperion
Hyperion (moon)
Hyperion , also known as Saturn VII, is a moon of Saturn discovered by William Cranch Bond, George Phillips Bond and William Lassell in 1848. It is distinguished by its irregular shape, its chaotic rotation, and its unexplained sponge-like appearance...
, which he named "Chiron". However, he was mistaken: this moon did not exist; today, "Chiron" is the name of an entirely different object, the unusual asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
/comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
2060 Chiron
2060 Chiron
2060 Chiron is a minor planet in the outer Solar System. Discovered in 1977 by Charles T. Kowal , it was the first-known member of a new class of objects now known as centaurs, with an orbit between Saturn and Uranus.Although it was initially classified as an asteroid, it was later found to...
. His updated star charts and the discovery of several variable stars were also appreciated by his colleagues.
Goldschmidt was never employed at the Paris Observatory
Paris Observatory
The Paris Observatory is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centres in the world...
and therefore his income was insecure. However, in 1862 he was awarded a pension of 1500 francs. Because of his diabetes, Goldschmidt moved to Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
, but his condition did not improve. He stayed in Fontainebleau for three years and died there on April 26, 1866.
The lunar
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
Goldschmidt
Goldschmidt (crater)
Goldschmidt is a large lunar crater of the variety commonly termed a walled plain. It lies in the northern part of the Moon's near side, and appears oval in shape due to foreshortening. The rim is actually relatively circular, although the western rim is overlain by the prominent crater Anaxagoras...
is named after him. The crater is located in the northern polar region. To Honor Goldschmidt, the asteroid 1614 Goldschmidt
1614 Goldschmidt
1614 Goldschmidt is a main-belt asteroid discovered on April 18, 1952 by Alfred Schmitt at Uccle.- External links :*...
was named after him.
The Rosetta spacecraft
Rosetta (spacecraft)
Rosetta is a robotic spacecraft of the European Space Agency on a mission to study the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta consists of two main elements: the Rosetta space probe and the Philae lander. The spacecraft was launched on 2 March 2004 on an Ariane 5 rocket and will reach the comet by...
visited the asteroid Lutetia on July 10, 2010. During the fly-by, the instruments of the spacecraft, which is on its way to investigate a comet in 2014, took several pictures and collected scientific data about Lutetia. At that time, Lutetia became the largest asteroid ever visited by a space probe.