Carl Gustav Witt | |
---|---|
Born |
Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia |
October 29, 1866
Died | January 3, 1946 | (aged 79)
Nationality | German |
Fields | Astronomy |
Institutions | Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Urania Sternwarte Berlin |
Alma mater | Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität |
Doctoral advisor | Julius Bauschinger |
Known for | discovery of asteroids |
Notable awards |
Iron Cross 2nd Class, 2732 Witt is named after him |
Carl Gustav Witt (October 29, 1866 – January 3, 1946) was a German astronomer and discover of two asteroids who worked at the Urania Sternwarte, a popular observatory of the Urania astronomical association of Berlin.
He wrote a doctoral thesis under the direction of Julius Bauschinger.
Witt discovered two asteroids, most notably 433 Eros, the first asteroid with a male name, and the first known near-Earth object. His first minor planet discovery was the main-belt asteroid 422 Berolina, that bears the Latin name of his adoptive city.
The minor planet 2732 Witt – an A-type asteroid from the main-belt, discovered by Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in 1926 – was named in his memory by American astronomer and MPC's longtime director, Brian G. Marsden. Naming citation was published on 22 September 1983 (M.P.C. 8153).