Heinrich Siedentopf

Heinrich Friedrich Siedentopf (December 1, 1906 – November 28, 1963) was a German astronomer and physicist.

He was born in Hannover. In 1930, he became an assistant to Heinrich Vogt, then joined the national observatory in Heidelberg. Between 1940–46 he was a professor of astronomy at the University of Jena, and director of the observatory. In 1949, he was a professor at the University of Tübingen,[1] where he later died of a heart attack.

Professor Siedentopf published a total of 146 papers and a textbook. He studied cosmology, stellar convection,[2] photometry and the zodiacal light.[3] In 1934, he developed an adjustable iris for the Stetson-Schilt photometer, allowing the observer to adjust the light level directed at the astronomical plate.[4][5]

Gravesite of Siedentopf at the Bergfriedhof in Tübingen

Siedentopf crater on the Moon[6] and the main belt asteroid 5375 Siedentopf were named after him.

References
  1. Barnstedt, Jürgen (September 29, 2005). "History and Chronicle of Astronomy in Tübingen". Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  2. Zirker, Jack B. (2002). Journey from the Center of the Sun. Princeton University Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-691-05781-8.
  3. "Obituary: Heinrich Siedentopf". Irish Astronomical Journal. 9: 165. 1969. Bibcode:1969IrAJ....9..165.
  4. "History of Photometry in Astronomical Observations". McCormick Museum. December 28, 2005. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  5. Hearnshaw, J. B. (1996). The measurement of starlight: two centuries of astronomical photometry. Cambridge University Press. p. 292. ISBN 0-521-40393-6.
  6. Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved August 5, 2007.


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