Johann Palisa

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Johann Palisa

Silesian astronomer

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 2, 2024 • Article History

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Born:: Dec. 6, 1848, Troppau, Silesia [now Opava, Czech Republic]

Died:: May 2, 1925, Vienna, Austria (aged 76)

Subjects Of Study:: asteroid

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Johann Palisa (born Dec. 6, 1848, Troppau, Silesia [now Opava, Czech Republic]—died May 2, 1925, Vienna, Austria) was a Silesian astronomer best known for his discovery of 120 asteroids. He also prepared two catalogs containing the positions of almost 4,700 stars. Palisa briefly was an assistant astronomer at the observatories in Vienna and Geneva before being appointed director (1872–80) of the Austro-Hungarian naval observatory at Pola (now Pula, Croatia), a position that carried with it the rank of commander. From 1880 to 1919 he was a member of the staff at the Vienna Observatory. By 1891, when the photographic plate ...(100 of 115 words)

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