Heinrich William Olbers (* 11 October 1758 in Arbergen with Bremen; "† 2. March 1840 in Bremen) was a German physician and astronomer.

He developed methods for the course regulation of heavenly bodies, discovered the small planets (2) Pallas, (4) Vesta as well as six comets and formulated the Olbers paradox.

Olbers came as the respected of sixteen children of the minister Johann George Olbers working in Arbergen to the world. 1760 were appointed the father to of Bremen the cathedral and the family drew into the then free realm city Bremen. There Olbers visited the the and starting from 1771 "„the High School Illustre "“. it took up 1777 at the University of Goettingen the study of the medicine.

Already as pupils it was interested in the astronomy. As ten-year one had it fascinates the large comet of 1769 observed. As a student he heard additionally astronomical lectures. 1779, while a medical practical course, he devised a method for the course regulation of a comet, which he observed during the patient support by a window.

1780 it locked the study with a thesis over the human eye. it opened sand route a medical practice to 1781 in that of Bremen.

1785 he married Dorothea Elizabeth It died already in the year following on it with the birth of the daughter Doris. Years later he married Anna aristocracyness with which he a son (the later of Bremen senator George Heinrich Olbers (1790 to 1861)) had.

Its free time dedicated nearly completely Olbers to the astronomy. Since it got along with only four hours sleep, it could accomplish extensive sky observations. He evaluated beyond that all recordings of remarkable comets, which had appeared since 1531. 1797 it published the writing "“paper over the easiest and most comfortable method to compute the course of a Cometen"”. The work was still twice presented 1847 and 1864. The method described therein can be used also today still easily.

1800 were created in Lilienthal with Bremen on suggestion of Franz Xaver of Zach the astronomical society. First president became Johann Hieronymus The observatory Lilienthal created by was at that time the best equipped observatory of the world. Further initial members were Olbers, Ferdinand Adolf of end, Johann Gildemeister and Karl Ludwig Harding. Beyond that eighteen further prominent European astronomers were appointed as members. A goal of the society was the location still unknown quantity heavenly body of our solar system, in particular an assumed planet between Mars and Jupiter. For this the sky was divided into 24 sections and surveyed intensively in the proximity of the ecliptic.

On 1 January 1801 discovered Giuseppe Piazzi of Palermo from the first small planet, which was called later (1) cerium. To 28. March 1802 discovered Olbers (2) Pallas, to 28. March 1807 (4) Vesta. (3) Juno had been discovered on 1 September 1804 by Harding.

1806 became acquainted with Olbers the young Friedrich William Bessel. It recognized its mathematical and astronomical talent and recommended it to Bessel worked four years on the Lilienthaler observatory and went afterwards as a professor for astronomy to the University of king mountain.

Due to the napoleonischen wars turned out Northern Germany at the beginning 19. Century under French rule. Olbers was appointed 1811 the member of the "“Corps Legislativ"”, the legislative meeting in Paris. In the future Olbers traveled three times to Paris around the section of the Weser deltas to represent. There it made the personal acquaintance of Napoleon I.

After the French rule was terminated, Olbers 1814 took its astronomical activities. In the following years he discovered six comets, under it the shortperiodic 13P/Olbers, which returns in the year 2024.

1818 died Olbers daughter, 1820 its second wife. These losses met it heavily and it withdrew themselves from its working life as a physician.

1826 he formulates the Olbers paradox designated after him. It points in the fact the contradiction out that it becomes dark at night, although with acceptance of infinite space with homogeneous distributed stars, in each place of the sky a star would have to stand. The sky would have to be as bright thus as the sun also at night.

1840 died Olbers at the age of 82 years after a heavy illness in Bremen.

For its achievements it had received, among other things numerous honors to the Danish Dannebrogue medal, the knight cross of the Guelphen medal from the king house England Hanover and the Prussian knight cross of the red eagle medal. 1830, on the occasion of its decided that of Bremen senate the list of a in the there city hall.

1920 were created in Bremen the "“Olbers society registered association"” with the goal of spreading the astronomy in the public. The society operates today on the area of the university Bremen the Olbers Planetarium and the walter stone observatory.

To Olbers memories were designated a Mondkrater and the Asteroid (1002) Olbersia.

On the Hanseatenhof in Bremen (between Lloyd passage, Hanse Carree, C&A) the monument stands to honours of Olbers. On the other corner to the upper road a small plaque is in the soil on the point of the Ansgarikirche refers to, which were used because of its form as survey point.

Because of the meaning of the observatory Lilienthal for Carl Friedrich Gauss and the land surveying, was on last 10 DM the light, a map of Northern Germany, with Lilienthal and Bremen as survey points. The survey point for Bremen was the Kirchturmspitze of the Ansgarikirche destroyed in the war, today Hanse The point was to be differentiated because of their form well from the other Kirchturmspitzen to. At the corner Obernstrasse Ansgariplatz is a Hinweistafel, which points to the point, which lies approx. 10 meters far away in the building.

Related links

• Web page of the Olbers Planetariums

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