Heinrich Olbers, German Astronomer

Color enhanced portrait of Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers (October 11, 1758 - March 2, 1840), German physician and astronomer. Olbers studied to be a physician, graduated in 1780 and began his practice, but at night he dedicated his time to astronomical observation. He made the upper story of his home into an observatory and devised the first satisfactory method of calculating cometary orbits. In 1802, he discovered and named the asteroid Pallas. In 1807, he discovered the asteroid Vesta, which he allowed Carl Friedrich Gauss to name. In 1815, he discovered a periodic comet, now named after him (formally designated 13P/Olbers). Olbers paradox, described by him in 1823, states that the darkness of the night sky conflicts with the supposition of an infinite and eternal static universe. He died in 1840 at the age of 81. This image has been color enhanced

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13345112

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47786683

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3000px x 4551px (1.0MB)

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