Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
Born	(1813-09-19)September 19, 1813 Koldenbüttel, Duchy of Schleswig
Died	July 18, 1890(1890-07-18) (aged 76) Utica, New York
Nationality	German–American
Known for	asteroids
Scientific career
Fields	astronomy
Institutions	Hamilton College
Signature

Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters (born September 19, 1813 – died July 18, 1890) was an important German-American astronomer. He taught at Hamilton College in New York. He was a pioneer in finding and studying asteroids. People often call him C. H. F. Peters.

Life Story of Christian Peters

Christian Peters was born in Koldenbüttel, which was then part of Denmark. Later, this area became part of Germany. He studied with a famous mathematician named Carl Friedrich Gauss. Christian's younger brother, Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters, became a well-known explorer.

Christian Peters could speak many languages. He moved to Italy during a time when the country was uniting. Because he was involved with some groups that authorities didn't like, he had to leave. He went to the Ottoman Empire (which is now mostly Turkey), where he became a government advisor. In 1854, he moved to the United States after a suggestion from the U.S. consul there.

In 1874, Peters led a special trip for the United States Naval Observatory. They went to Queenstown, New Zealand to watch the Transit of Venus. This is when the planet Venus passes directly in front of the Sun. A special plaque in New Zealand remembers his visit.

In 1878, Peters was chosen to be a member of the American Philosophical Society. This is a group for smart people who study science and other subjects.

He worked at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. There, he became famous for finding many asteroids. He discovered 48 asteroids in total! His first discovery was 72 Feronia in 1861, and his last was 287 Nephthys in 1889. Besides asteroids, he also helped find a periodic comet called 80P/Peters–Hartley. He also discovered different nebulae (clouds of gas and dust in space) and galaxies (huge groups of stars).

Near the end of his life, in 1889, Peters had a legal disagreement with his former helper, Charles A. Borst. This case, called Peters v. Borst, went to the Supreme Court of New York. The judge first sided with Peters. However, many other astronomers and newspapers thought Borst was right. Peters died soon after this. Later, the court's decision was changed, and a new trial was ordered, but it never happened.

Christian Peters died on July 18, 1890, in Utica, New York. A historian named William Sheehan wrote that Peters was found on the doorstep of his lodging, still wearing his observing cap. He had been on his way to the observatory the night before.

Honors and Recognition

An asteroid in the main belt, called 100007 Peters, was named after him. It was discovered in 1988 by Eric Walter Elst. This asteroid is about 7.5 kilometers (about 4.6 miles) wide. It belongs to a group of asteroids called the Alauda family. The official naming of the asteroid was announced in 2015.

Asteroids Discovered by Peters

Between 1861 and 1889, C. H. F. Peters discovered 48 asteroids. He made these discoveries at the Litchfield Observatory in New York. At Hamilton College, he was known as the "Litchfield professor of astronomy."

Here is a list of the asteroids he discovered: