Max Wolf Explained

Max Wolf
Birth Name:Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf
Birth Date:21 June 1863
Birth Place:Heidelberg, Grand Duchy of Baden
Nationality:German
Field:Astronomy
Work Institutions:University of Heidelberg
Alma Mater:University of Heidelberg
Doctoral Advisor:Leo Königsberger
Doctoral Students:August Kopff
Heinrich Vogt
Known For:Astrophotography
Minor planets discovered: 248 
see

Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (21 June 1863 – 3 October 1932) was a German astronomer and a pioneer in the field of astrophotography. He was the chairman of astronomy at the University of Heidelberg and director of the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory from 1902 until his death in 1932.

Early life

Max Wolf was born in Heidelberg, Germany on 21 June 1863, the son of medical doctor Franz Wolf. His father encouraged an interest in science and built an observatory for his son in the garden of the family home. It is from here that Wolf was credited with his first astronomical discovery, comet 14P/Wolf, in 1884.[1]

Life at the university

Wolf attended his local university and, in 1888, at the age of 25, was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Heidelberg. He spent one year of post-graduate study in Stockholm, the only significant time he would spend outside of Heidelberg in his life. He returned to the University of Heidelberg and accepted the position of privat-docent in 1890. A popular lecturer in astronomy, he declined offers of positions from other institutions. In 1902 he was appointed Chair of Astronomy and Director of the new Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl observatory, positions he would hold until his death in 1932.[2]

While the new observatory was being built Wolf was appointed to supervise the construction and outfitting of the astrophysics half of the observatory. He proved to be not only a capable supervisor but also a successful fundraiser. When sent to America to study the construction of the large new telescopes being built there he returned not only with telescope plans but also with a grant of $10,000 from the American philanthropist Catherine Wolfe Bruce. Wolf immediately designed and ordered a double refractor telescope from American astronomer and instrument builder John Brashear. This instrument, known as the Bruce double-astrograph, with parallel 16inches lenses and a fast f/5 focal ratio, became the observatory's primary research telescope. Wolf also raised money for a 28inches reflector telescope, the first for the observatory, used for spectroscopy.[3]

In 1910 Wolf proposed to the Carl Zeiss optics firm the creation of a new instrument which would become known as the planetarium. World War I intervened before the invention could be developed, but the Carl Zeiss company resumed this project after peace was restored. The first official public showing was at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany on 21 October 1923.[4]

During his trip to America Wolf was interested in learning more about the relatively new field of astrophotography. He met the American astronomer and astrophotographer E.E. Barnard, and the two became lifelong correspondents, competitors, collaborators and friends. Wolf wrote a long obituary for Barnard upon his death in 1923.[5]

Later life and death

Heidelberg University became well known for astronomy under Wolf's leadership. Wolf himself was an active researcher, contributing numerous papers in many areas of astronomy up to the end of his life. He died in Heidelberg on 3 October 1932, at the age of 69. He was survived by his widow and three sons.[1]

Comets and novae

Wolf started his career as a comet hunter and continued to discover them throughout his life. He discovered or co-discovered several comets, including 14P/Wolf and 43P/Wolf-Harrington. Wolf won a competition with E. E. Barnard on who would be the first to observe the return of Halley's Comet (P1/Halley) in April 1910.

He discovered Nova Aquilae 1927, a classical nova.

He discovered or co-discovered four supernovae: SN 1895A (a.k.a. VW Vir), SN 1909A (a.k.a. SS UMa), SN 1920A, and, with Reinmuth, SN 1926A.

Dark nebulae

One of the many significant contributions Wolf made was in the determination of the nature of dark nebulae. These areas of the sky, thought since William Herschel's time to be "holes in the sky", were a puzzle to astronomers of the time. In collaboration with E. E. Barnard, Wolf proved, by careful photographic analysis, that dark nebulae were huge clouds of fine opaque dust.

Star catalog

Along with E. E. Barnard, Wolf applied astrophotography to the observation of stars. The Bruce double-astrograph was originally designed to hunt dim asteroids but it was found to be ideally suited for the study of the proper motion of low-luminosity stars using much the same technique. In 1919 Wolf published a catalog of the locations of over one thousand stars along with their measured proper motion. These stars are still commonly identified by his name and catalog number.[6] Among the stars he discovered is Wolf 359, a dim red dwarf that was later found to be one of the nearest stars to the Solar System.[7] He continued to add proper motion star discoveries to this catalog throughout his life, with the catalog eventually totaling over 1500 stars, many more than all of his competitors combined.[8] These stars are significant because stars with low luminosity and high proper motion, such as Barnard's Star and Wolf 359, are usually relatively close to the Earth and thus the stars in Wolf's catalog remain popular subjects for astronomical research. The methods used by E. E. Barnard and Wolf were continued by Frank Elmore Ross and George Van Biesbroeck through the mid-20th century. Since that time photographic plates have been gradually replaced with more sensitive electronic photodetectors for astronomical surveys.

Asteroids

In 1891, Wolf discovered his first asteroid, 323 Brucia, and named it after Catherine Wolfe Bruce.[9] He pioneered the use of astrophotographic techniques to automate the discovery of asteroids, as opposed to older visual methods, as a result of which asteroid discovery rates sharply increased. In time-exposure photographs, asteroids appear as short streaks due to their planetary motion with respect to fixed stars. Wolf discovered 248 asteroids in his lifetime.[10]

Among his many discoveries was 588 Achilles (the first Trojan asteroid) in 1906, as well as two other Trojans: 659 Nestor and 884 Priamus.[11] He also discovered 887 Alinda in 1918, which is now recognized as an Earth-crossing Amor asteroid (or sometimes classified as the namesake of its own Alinda family).[12] Wolf's then-record number of discoveries was surpassed by his pupil Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth on 24 July 1933.

List of discovered minor planets

Source: Web site: Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) . Minor Planet Center . . 2019-05-31 . dmy-all.

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22 December 1891
4 March 1892
18 March 1892
21 March 1892
2 February 1910
19 March 1892
22 August 1892
23 August 1892
25 September 1892
25 September 1892
25 September 1892
17 October 1892
15 November 1892
16 December 1892
12 January 1893
16 January 1893
1 March 1894
1 March 1894
1 November 1894
4 November 1894
important; height: 540px;"
4 November 1894
23 February 1895
16 March 1895
13 October 1895
13 October 1895
7 January 1896
7 January 1896
7 February 1896
6 May 1896
7 September 1896
7 September 1896
7 September 1896
7 September 1896
11 September 1898
11 September 1898 
13 September 1898 
15 February 1899 
17 February 1899 
27 October 1899 
27 October 1899 
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27 October 1899 
31 October 1899 
10 October 1899 
22 May 1900 
4 June 1900 
15 September 1900 
21 September 1900 
22 October 1900
22 October 1900
22 October 1900
22 October 1900
31 October 1900
9 January 1901
13 January 1901
17 January 1901 
9 January 1901
18 January 1901
7 June 1901
13 February 1901
13 February 1901
important; height: 540px;"
21 May 1901 
3 March 1902
4 March 1902
29 April 1902
26 June 1902 
3 September 1902
3 September 1902
3 September 1902
7 September 1902
7 October 1902
25 October 1902
25 October 1902
24 December 1902
16 January 1903
18 January 1903
19 January 1903
28 April 1903
23 June 1903
24 August 1903
24 August 1903
important; height: 540px;"
20 September 1903
27 October 1903 
10 January 1904
14 March 1904
14 March 1904
20 March 1904
20 March 1904
20 March 1904
11 April 1904
12 April 1904
20 April 1904
2 August 1904
3 August 1904
4 August 1904
15 November 1904
16 November 1904
16 November 1904
14 December 1904
27 December 1904
14 January 1905
important; height: 540px;"
26 January 1905
9 February 1905
8 March 1905
13 March 1905
26 March 1905
3 April 1905
9 May 1905
30 July 1905
19 September 1905
19 September 1905
19 September 1905
20 October 1905
1 November 1905
17 December 1905
21 February 1906
22 February 1906
22 February 1906
4 March 1906
18 March 1906
27 March 1906
important; height: 540px;"
16 April 1906
13 April 1906
21 June 1906
27 August 1906
24 September 1906
26 September 1906
8 September 1907
8 September 1907
23 March 1908
23 July 1909
5 November 1901 
22 December 1910
19 March 1911
16 September 1912
21 November 1914
20 March 1915
20 March 1915
20 March 1915
17 April 1915
18 April 1915
important; height: 540px;"
18 April 1915
11 August 1915
8 September 1915
8 September 1915
28 November 1915
2 February 1916
8 February 1916
6 February 1916
21 February 1916
3 March 1916
30 March 1916
31 March 1916
31 March 1916
31 March 1916
28 April 1916
20 September 1916
20 September 1916
20 September 1916
20 September 1916
23 September 1916
important; height: 540px;"
23 September 1916
23 September 1916
24 September 1916
24 September 1916
25 September 1916
1 October 1916
1 October 1916
16 November 1916
22 January 1917
22 January 1917
28 January 1917
9 February 1917
15 February 1917
25 February 1917
26 April 1917
12 May 1917
14 May 1917
21 May 1917
21 May 1917
25 May 1917
important; height: 540px;"
19 May 1917
22 July 1917
22 July 1917
22 July 1917
14 September 1917
22 September 1917
3 January 1918
2 February 1918
5 March 1918
11 March 1918
17 May 1918
31 May 1918
31 May 1918
4 June 1918
11 July 1918
1 August 1918
3 August 1918
3 August 1918
3 August 1918
10 August 1918
important; height: 540px;"
30 August 1918
29 October 1918
12 November 1918
30 November 1918
4 July 1919
30 October 1918
16 February 1920
11 February 1921
11 March 1921
18 January 1922
31 October 1923
11 March 1924
24 November 1924
24 November 1924
16 November 1925
28 January 1927
25 September 1929
4 January 1930
30 August 1930 
13 March 1931
important; height: 540px;"
19 March 1931
5 October 1931
1 January 1932
6 February 1932
9 September 1928
22 August 1906
31 March 1916
2 September 1930
1 November 1905
20 September 1903
30 August 1930 
2 October 1915
4 August 1929
24 January 1906
17 August 1928
3 November 1905
14 March 1931
19 March 1926
24 September 1917
3 January 1908
important;"
15 October 1915
4 August 1929
14 August 1904
13 March 1931
3 October 1927
5 September 1928
16 March 1931
4 August 1929
Co-discovery made with:
A. Schwassmann
L. Carnera
P. Götz
A. Kopff
M. Ferrero

Awards and honors

The lunar crater Wolf as well as the main-belt asteroids 827 Wolfiana and 1217 Maximiliana were named in his honor.[16] [17]

Minor planet 1152 Pawona is named after both Johann Palisa and Max Wolf, in recognition of their cooperation. The name was proposed by Swedish astronomer Bror Ansgar Asplind. Pawona is a combination of "Palisa" and "Wolf" (Pa, Wo) joined with a Latin feminine suffix.[18]

Other astronomers named Wolf

External links

Obituaries

Notes and References

  1. Obituary: Max Wolf . MacPherson, H. . The Observatory . 55 . 355–359 . 1932 . 1932Obs....55..355M.
  2. Obituary Notices: Associates:- Wolf, Max. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . 93 . 4 . 236. February 1933 . 1933MNRAS..93..236. . 10.1093/mnras/93.4.236. free.
  3. Tenn, Joseph S.. Max Wolf: The Twenty-Fifth Bruce Medalist. Mercury. 23. 4. 27–28. 1994. 1994Mercu..23d..27T. 2009-10-15. 2021-03-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20210304124341/http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/brucemedalists/wolf/WolfBio.pdf. dead.
  4. News: Chartrand . Mark . September 1973 . A Fifty Year Anniversary of a Two Thousand Year Dream (The History of the Planetarium) . The Planetarian . International Planetarium Society . 2 . 3 . 0090-3213 . 2017-04-26 .
  5. Anzeige des Todes von Edward Emerson Barnard . Wolf, M. . Astronomische Nachrichten. 218 . 16 . 241–248 . April 1923 . de . 1923AN....218..241W . 10.1002/asna.19232181602.
  6. Wolf . M. . Katalog von 1053 staerker bewegten Fixsternen . Veroeffentlichungen der Badischen Sternwarte zu Heidelberg . 1919 . 7 . 10 . 195–219 . de . 1919VeHei...7..195W.
  7. Eigenbewegungssterne . Wolf, M.. Astronomische Nachrichten . 204 . 20. 345 . July 1917 . de. 1917AN....204..345W. 10.1002/asna.19172042002.
  8. Web site: Wolf. Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg. 2009-10-13.
  9. Book: Schmadel, Lutz D. . Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . limited . Springer Berlin Heidelberg . 42 . 2007 . 978-3-540-00238-3 . 10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_324 . (323) Brucia .
  10. Book: Hughes, Stefan . Catchers of the Light: The Forgotten Lives of the Men and Women Who First Photographed the Heavens . ArtDeCiel Publishing . 2012 . 9781620509616 . 398.
  11. Nicholson . Seth B. . The Trojan asteroids . 1961 . Astronomical Society of the Pacific Leaflets . 8 . 381 . 239–46 . 1961ASPL....8..239N.
  12. Book: Schmadel, Lutz D. . Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . limited . (323) Brucia . Springer Berlin Heidelberg . 80 . 2007 . 978-3-540-00238-3 . 10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_324 .
  13. 1979LAstr..93..543S . Prix et Médailles décernés par la Société depuis sa fondation . L'Astronomie . 1979 . 93 . 543. S. A. F .
  14. Web site: Gold Medal Winners . RAS . 2019 . 15 July 2019 .
  15. Web site: Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal . 2020-06-19 . Astronomical Society of the Pacific . mdy-all.
  16. Book: Schmadel, Lutz D. . Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . (827) Wolfiana . . 76 . 2007 . 978-3-540-00238-3 . 10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_828.
  17. Book: Schmadel, Lutz D. . Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . . 101 . 2007 . 978-3-540-00238-3 . 10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1218 . (1217) Maximiliana .
  18. Book: Schmadel, Lutz D. . Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . Springer Berlin Heidelberg . 97 . 2007 . 10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1153 . (1152) Pawona . 978-3-540-00238-3 .

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