Johann Elert Bode facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Johann Elert Bode
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Johann Elert Bode
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| Born | 19 January 1747 |
| Died | 23 November 1826 (aged 79) Berlin, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia
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| Nationality | German |
| Known for | Titius–Bode law |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Doctoral advisor | Johann Georg Büsch |
| Doctoral students | Johann Pfaff |
Johann Elert Bode (born January 19, 1747 – died November 23, 1826) was an important German astronomer. He is well-known for explaining and making popular the Titius–Bode law, which is a rule about how far planets are from the Sun. Bode also figured out the path, or orbit, of the planet Uranus and even suggested its name.
Contents
Early Life and Work
Bode was born in Hamburg, Germany. When he was young, he had a serious eye problem that especially affected his right eye. This eye trouble stayed with him throughout his life.
He showed great talent in mathematics from an early age. This caught the attention of Johann Georg Büsch, a famous mathematician. Büsch let Bode use his personal library to study.
Bode started his career by writing about a solar eclipse in 1766. After that, he wrote a simple book about astronomy called Anleitung zur Kenntniss des gestirnten Himmels (which means Guide to Knowing the Starry Sky). This book was very successful.
Becoming an Astronomer
Because of his successful book, Bode was invited to Berlin in 1772 by Johann Heinrich Lambert. His job was to create better tables that showed where planets and stars would be at certain times. These tables are called ephemerides.
In 1774, Bode started the famous Astronomisches Jahrbuch (Astronomical Yearbook). He put together and published 51 yearly volumes of this book.
In 1786, he became the director of the Berlin Observatory. He worked there until he retired in 1825.
Mapping the Stars
At the Berlin Observatory, Bode created a large star map called Uranographia in 1801. This map was special because it showed the exact positions of stars and other astronomical objects. It also included beautiful artistic drawings of the constellations.
The Uranographia was a high point for artistic star maps. Later maps showed fewer and fewer detailed constellation figures. Bode also made a smaller star map for people who enjoyed astronomy as a hobby.
Bode's Discoveries and Namesakes
Bode is credited with discovering a galaxy known as Bode's Galaxy (also called M81). A comet (C/1779 A1) is named after him, and its orbit was calculated by Erik Prosperin.
An asteroid called 998 Bodea was also named in his honor. It was discovered in 1923 by Karl Reinmuth. The letter 'a' was added to its name to follow the rule that asteroids should have feminine names.
The Titius-Bode Law
Bode's name is closely linked to a rule about planetary distances. This rule was first found by Johann Daniel Titius in 1766. Bode mentioned it in a footnote in his book Anleitung zur Kenntniss des gestirnten Himmels.
Even though it's officially called the Titius–Bode law, it's often just called Bode's law. This law tries to explain how far planets are from the Sun using a mathematical formula.
The Missing Planet
The law became very interesting when Uranus was discovered exactly where the law predicted a planet should be. There was also a gap in the law between Mars and Jupiter where no planet was known. Bode strongly encouraged astronomers to search for a planet in this area.
A group of astronomers, sometimes called the "celestial police", formed to search for this missing planet. However, before they started their search, Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the dwarf planet Ceres in 1801. Ceres was found at the exact position Bode's law had predicted!
Later Views on the Law
Later, the law became less popular. This happened when astronomers realized Ceres was just one of many asteroids. Also, the planet Neptune, discovered later, did not fit the law's predictions.
However, with the discovery of planets orbiting other stars, the Titius-Bode law has become a topic of discussion again.
The Discovery of Uranus
Bode was directly involved in the research that followed the discovery of Uranus in 1781. Uranus was the first planet found using a telescope, but it is just barely visible to the unaided eye.
Bode looked at older star maps and found many cases where Uranus had been seen before. But it was mistaken for a star. For example, John Flamsteed, a British astronomer, had listed it as a star called 34 Tauri in his catalog from 1690. These earlier sightings helped astronomers calculate the new planet's orbit very precisely.
Naming Uranus
Bode was also responsible for giving the new planet its name. The discoverer, William Herschel, wanted to name it after King George III. However, this name was not popular in other countries.
Bode suggested the name Uranus. His reasoning was that just as Saturn was the father of Jupiter, the new planet should be named after the father of Saturn. In Greek mythology, Uranus was the father of Saturn (Cronus).
Other names were suggested, but Bode's idea became the most widely used. It took until 1850 for the name Uranus to be officially accepted in Britain. In 1789, a scientist named Martin Klaproth was inspired by Bode's name for the planet. He named his newly discovered element "uranium" after Uranus.
Later Life and Legacy
From 1787 to 1825, Bode was the director of the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, an important astronomical institute. In 1794, he became a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In April 1789, he was also elected a fellow of the Royal Society in Britain.
Johann Elert Bode passed away in Berlin on November 23, 1826, at the age of 79. His many works greatly helped to spread an interest in astronomy throughout Germany.
Selected Writings
- 1768 (10th edition 1844) Anleitung zur Kentniss des Gestirnten Himmels (This was one of Bode's most famous books. In it, he first wrote about Bode's law.)
- 1774–1957 Berliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch für 1776–1959 (The astronomical yearbook published by the Berlin Observatory.)
- 1776 (3rd edition 1808) Erläuterung der Sternkunde, an introductory book about constellations and their stories. It was reprinted more than ten times.
- 1801 Uranographia sive Astrorum Descriptio (A large star atlas with twenty copper plates.)
Images for kids
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Front page of a 1772 edition of Anleitung zur Kenntniss des gestirnten Himmels
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Section of a plate from Uranographia showing the constellation Orion
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Allgemeine Betrachtungen über das Weltgebäude, 1808
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1772 copy of Anleitung zur Kenntniss des gestirnten Himmels
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Front page illustration from 1772 copy of Anleitung zur kenntniss
See also
In Spanish: Johann Elert Bode para niños
