Johannes Wilsing
Encyclopedia
Johannes Wilsing was a German
astronomer
.
He was born in Berlin
, where he was educated in addition to Göttingen
. In 1880 he was awarded his Ph.D.
from Humboldt-Universität of Berlin with a dissertation titled, Über den Einfluss von Luftdruck und Wärme auf die Pendelbewegung (On the influence of air pressure and heat on the movement of a pendulum).
In 1881 he joined the Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam (AOP) as an assistant, and would remain there until he retired. His early career was spent on solar studies, including observations of sunspot
s and derivations of the rotation period. In 1897 he measured the parallax of 61 Cygni
, a relatively nearby star.
He became an observer at the AOP in 1898, and the following year he collaborated with Julius Scheiner
in an unsuccessful attempt to measure the radio
emission from the Sun. The same year he attempted to interpret the spectrum of novae. He performed extensive work on the luminosity, colors, and diameters of stars.
He retired in 1921 and died in Potsdam
. The crater Wilsing
on the Moon
is named after him.
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...
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...
.
He was born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he was educated in addition to Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
. In 1880 he was awarded his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Humboldt-Universität of Berlin with a dissertation titled, Über den Einfluss von Luftdruck und Wärme auf die Pendelbewegung (On the influence of air pressure and heat on the movement of a pendulum).
In 1881 he joined the Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam (AOP) as an assistant, and would remain there until he retired. His early career was spent on solar studies, including observations of sunspot
Sunspot
Sunspots are temporary phenomena on the photosphere of the Sun that appear visibly as dark spots compared to surrounding regions. They are caused by intense magnetic activity, which inhibits convection by an effect comparable to the eddy current brake, forming areas of reduced surface temperature....
s and derivations of the rotation period. In 1897 he measured the parallax of 61 Cygni
61 Cygni
61 Cygni,Not to be confused with 16 Cygni, a more distant system containing two G-type stars harboring the gas giant planet 16 Cygni Bb. sometimes called Bessel's Star or Piazzi's Flying Star, is a binary star system in the constellation Cygnus...
, a relatively nearby star.
He became an observer at the AOP in 1898, and the following year he collaborated with Julius Scheiner
Julius Scheiner
Julius Scheiner was a German astronomer, born in Cologne and educated at Bonn. He became assistant at the astrophysical observatory in Potsdam in 1887 and its observer in chief in 1898, three years after his appointment to the chair of astrophysics in the University of Berlin...
in an unsuccessful attempt to measure the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
emission from the Sun. The same year he attempted to interpret the spectrum of novae. He performed extensive work on the luminosity, colors, and diameters of stars.
He retired in 1921 and died in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
. The crater Wilsing
Wilsing (crater)
Wilsing is a lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies due north of the crater Plummer, and farther to the north of the huge walled plain Apollo. Wilsing is located just inside the rim of the immense South Pole-Aitken basin....
on the Moon
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...
is named after him.