Georg von Neumayer facts for kids
Georg Balthazar von Neumayer (born June 21, 1826 – died May 24, 1909) was a German explorer and scientist. He loved exploring the polar regions. He also believed that countries should work together to study weather and other scientific things. This idea is called international cooperation.
Contents
Georg von Neumayer's Life
Early Years and Education
Georg von Neumayer was born in Kirchheimbolanden, a place in Germany. He studied geophysics (the science of Earth's physical processes) and hydrography (mapping water bodies) in Munich, Bavaria. He finished his studies in 1849.
He became very interested in exploring the North and South Poles. So, he continued to study things like Earth's magnetism, oceans, how to navigate ships, and stars. To get real-world experience, he sailed to South America. After returning, he gave talks in Hamburg about ocean theories and new ways to navigate ships.
Adventures in Australia
Neumayer then decided to go to Australia. He worked as a sailor on a ship and arrived in Sydney in 1852. After trying to find gold, he taught sailors about navigation. He also spent some time at an observatory in Hobart, Tasmania.
In 1854, he went back to Germany. He was sure that Australia was a great place for scientific exploration. The King of Bavaria and important British scientists supported his ideas. He sailed to Australia again and arrived in Melbourne in January 1857.
He asked the government of Victoria for land to build an observatory. He also asked for money for a building and yearly costs. He brought many instruments for studying magnetism, navigation, and weather. These instruments were worth a lot of money and were given to him by the King of Bavaria.
Neumayer was allowed to use the signal station buildings on Flagstaff Hill. Here, he created the Flagstaff Observatory for Geophysics, Magnetism and Nautical Science. This observatory is now located at Flagstaff Gardens in Melbourne, Australia. Starting in March 1858, he regularly recorded weather and navigation data. Soon after, he also began observing atmospheric electricity and changes in Earth's magnetic field.
Between 1858 and 1863, Neumayer and his team studied hundreds of ship logbooks. They wanted to find the fastest and safest routes for sailing ships between Europe and Australia. He asked ship captains to drop off their logbooks at his office. More than 600 logs were checked. The information they found was published in a book in 1864.
Burke and Wills Expedition
Neumayer was part of the committee that planned the famous Burke and Wills expedition. This expedition aimed to cross Australia. William John Wills, who was second-in-command of the expedition, worked as Neumayer's assistant at the Flagstaff Observatory before the journey began.
Neumayer joined the expedition for a short time at Swan Hill. He wanted to make magnetic observations. He stayed with Burke and Wills until they reached the Darling River. Then, he returned to the settled areas of Victoria.
Scientific Contributions and Legacy
Neumayer published many important scientific books. In 1860, he shared the Results of the Magnetical, Nautical and Meteorological Observations. He also traveled a lot in Victoria to map its magnetic field. In 1864, he published more results from his weather and navigation observations. That same year, he returned to Germany.
Later, he organized the "Gazelle Expedition" (1874-1876). He also became the director of "Deutsche Seewarte," a German organization for mapping water. In 1879, he led the International Polar Commission with Karl Weyprecht. They started the first International Polar Year in 1882/83. This was a time when many countries worked together to study the polar regions.
In 1895, von Neumayer created the German Commission for South Polar Exploration. This led to the First German Antarctica Expedition in 1901, also known as the Gauss expedition. In 1890, he also helped create the first cloud atlas, a book with pictures of different types of clouds.
The famous polar explorer Roald Amundsen came to study with Neumayer in 1900. In the same year, Neumayer received a special award from Bavaria. This award allowed him to add 'Ritter von' (meaning 'Knight of') before his last name.
Neumayer passed away in 1909 in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. A German polar research station in Antarctica was named after him, the "Neumayer Station". This station is now covered by ice and snow. Its successors, the Neumayer Station II and the current Neumayer Station III, continue his work. They study Earth's magnetic field, earthquakes, air chemistry, and weather.
Images for kids
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Neumayer's grave in Neustadt an der Weinstraße
