Heinrich Christian Schumacher facts for kids
Heinrich Christian Schumacher (born September 3, 1780, died December 28, 1850) was a famous German-Danish astronomer and mathematician. He spent his life studying the stars and measuring the Earth. He is best known for starting a very important astronomy magazine called Astronomische Nachrichten.
Contents
A Life Among the Stars and Maps
Early Life and Education
Heinrich Christian Schumacher was born in Bramstedt, a town near the border of Germany and Denmark. He went to school in Altona, which is now part of Hamburg. He studied at several universities, including Kiel, Jena, Göttingen, and Copenhagen. He earned his doctorate degree in 1807.
Becoming an Astronomer
In 1808, Schumacher became a professor of astronomy in Copenhagen. From 1813 to 1815, he led the observatory in Mannheim. Then, in 1815, he became a full professor of astronomy in Copenhagen. He also became the director of the observatory there.
Mapping the Land
Starting in 1817, Schumacher began an important project. He led the mapping of Holstein using a method called triangulation. This is a way of measuring distances and angles to create accurate maps. A few years later, he also started a full survey of Denmark. This project was finished after his death.
To help with this mapping work, Schumacher set up the Altona Observatory. He lived there permanently. He even worked with a famous mathematician named Carl Friedrich Gauss. Together, they measured a very important baseline near Hamburg in 1820.
Important Contributions and Awards
Schumacher was very busy publishing astronomy information. He created 11 parts of a series called Ephemerides. He also started a journal called Astronomische Nachrichten (Astronomical News) in 1821. This magazine is still published today! He edited 31 volumes of it himself.
Because of his important work, Schumacher received many honors. He became a member of the Royal Society of London in 1821. He also joined the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1822. In 1829, he won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, which is a very high award. He was also a member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
His Final Years
Heinrich Christian Schumacher passed away in Altona on December 28, 1850. He was buried in the Heilig Geist Kirchhof (Holy Ghost Church) in Altona. Today, a stone memorial marks his burial site.
His Family's Legacy
In 1812, Heinrich Christian Schumacher married Christine Madelaine Schoon.
Their son, Richard Schumacher (1827–1902), followed in his father's footsteps. He worked as his father's assistant at the Altona observatory from 1844 to 1850. Later, Richard helped with a survey in Chile. He returned in 1869 and became an assistant astronomer at Altona and then at Kiel.
Schumacher's nephew, Christian Andreas Schumacher (1810–1854), also worked on the survey of Denmark from 1833 to 1838. He later helped improve the observatory at Pulkowa.
Lasting Recognition
In 1935, a crater on the Moon was named "Schumacher" in his honor. This shows how important his work was to the field of astronomy.
