Heinrich Siedentopf
German astronomer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heinrich Friedrich Siedentopf (1 December 1906 – 28 November 1963) was a German astronomer and physicist.
Heinrich Siedentopf | |
|---|---|
Siedentopf 1963 in Chile | |
| Born | 1 December 1906 |
| Died | 28 November 1963 (aged 56) |
| Education | University of Göttingen |
| Occupations | Astronomer, astrophysicist |
Life & work
He was born in Hanover. In 1930, he became an assistant to Heinrich Vogt, then joined the national observatory in Heidelberg. Between 1940–46 he was a professor of astronomy at the University of Jena, and director of the observatory. In 1949, he was a professor at the University of Tübingen,[1] where he later died of a heart attack.
Professor Siedentopf published a total of 146 papers and a textbook. He studied cosmology, stellar convection,[2] photometry and the zodiacal light.[3] In 1934, he developed an adjustable iris for the Stetson-Schilt photometer, allowing the observer to adjust the light level directed at the astronomical plate.[4][5]
Until his early death in 1963, Siedentopf played a key role in the foundation of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile.
Siedentopf crater on the Moon[6] and the main belt asteroid 5375 Siedentopf were named after him.
