- Eduard Heis
Eduard Heis (
February 18 ,1806 ,Cologne –June 30 ,1877 inMünster ) was a Germanmathematician andastronomer .He completed his education at the
University of Bonn in 1827, then taught mathematics at a school in Cologne. In 1832 he taught atAachen , and remained there until 1852. He was then appointed by King Frederick William IV to a chair position at the Academy of Münster in 1852. In 1869 he becamerector of the Academy.While at the academy he made a series of observations of the night sky, including the
milky way ,zodiacal light ,star s, and shooting stars. These were published in the following works, among others:* "Atlas Coelestis Novus", Cologne, 1872.
* "Zodiakal-Beobachtungen".
* "Sternschnuppen-Beobachtungen".
* "De Magnitudine", 1852.His star atlas, which was based on the "Uranometria Nova", helped define the
constellation borders in the northern sky. His other publications included a treatise on the eclipses during thePeloponnesian war ,Halley's comet , and some mathematical text books.He was also the first person to record a count of the
Perseid meteor shower in 1839, giving an hourly rate of 160. Observers have recorded the hourly count every year since that time.Awards and honors
*
Order of the Red Eagle , 1870.
* Awarded doctor "honoris causa " by Bonn University, 1852.
* Foreign associate,Royal Astronomical Society of London, 1874.
* Honorary member, Leopoldine Academy, 1877.
* Honorary member, Scientific Society ofBrussels , 1877.
* Heis crater on theMoon is named after him.External links
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07201c.htm Catholic encyclopedia entry]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
