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History of Hessian Astronomy

Our research in history of astronomy is concentrating on the beginning of astronomical research in Hesse and its international connections: on the development and improvement of star catalogs, the discovery of asteroids and the beginning of studies of variable stars.

Two of the first modern catalogs of the Southern sky, J.M. Gilliss (1850) and C.W. Moesta (1860). Both were reduced from data at the National Observatory of Chile, Santiago.
A. Schrimpf
Two of the first modern catalogs of the Southern sky, J.M. Gilliss (1850) and C.W. Moesta (1860). Both were reduced from data at the National Observatory of Chile, Santiago.

Two of the first modern catalogs of the Southern sky, J.M. Gilliss (1850) and C.W. Moesta (1860). Both were reduced from data taken at the National Observatory of Chile, Santiago.

Some highlights of Hessian astronomy are:

  • 1586, Wilhelm IV, first modern European observatory in Kassel
  • early 17th century, Philipp III, Butzbach, sun spot observations
  • 1841, Ch.L. Gerling, observatory at Marburg University, star catalogs, asteroids and other solar system bodies
  • 1849 – 1852, U.S. Naval expedition to the Southern Hemisphere in order to determine the solar parallax from observations at Washington and Santiago, initiated by Gerling
  • 1852, C.W. Moesta, former student of Gerling, first director of the Chilean National Observatory, Santiago