Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke (1835-97)

Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke (February 5, 1835 - December 3, 1897)

Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke was born on February 5, 1835 in Groß-Heere near Hildesheim, Germany. He studied astronomy at Göttingen, Berlin and Bonn and worked with Gauss, Encke and Argelander. In 1858 he was appointed at the observatory in Pulkowa, Russia. Because of weak health, he was forced to return to Bonn in 1865. In the following years he was slowly recovering, and in 1872, he accepted an appointment as Professor of Astronomy in Strassburg. After 9 years as director, observer and instructor in Strassburg, his health failed again in 1881. Winnecke died on December 3, 1897 at Bonn.

Winnecke was an assiduous observer who discovered 10 comets between 1854 and 1877, among them periodic comet 7/P Pons-Winnecke. One of them, 1868 II, became famous for being the first one to have its spectrum observed (visually by William Huggins). He did a large number of stellar observations. In Strasbourg, he initiated a survey of 'nebulae' with the goal of obtaining exact nebular positions which was completed by Kobold and Wirtz in 1911 only.

In 1869, he published a paper entitled "Doppelsternmessungen (Double Star Measurements), in Astronomische Nachrichten No. 1738, vol 73, p 147-160, published in Altona, February 8, 1869. In this paper he included 7 newly discovered double stars, the "Winnecke Catalog of Double Stars" (Winnecke 1869). No. 4 of them, Winnecke 4, is M40, as found out by John Mallas around 1965.

Winnecke discovered several other deepsky objects, including 8 real and 1 non-existing NGC objects (communicated by letter to Dreyer).

Comets:

 C/1854 Y1    1854 V            Winnecke-Dien (I.1855)
7P/1858 E1    1858 II           P/Pons-Winnecke (II. 1858)
 C/1867 S1    1867 III          Baeker-Winnecke
 C/1868 L1    1868 II           Winnecke
7P/1869 G1    1869 I      1869a P/Pons-Winnecke
 C/1870 K1    1870 I      1870a Winnecke
 C/1870 W1    1870 IV     1870d Winnecke
 C/1871 G1    1871 I      1871a Winnecke
 C/1874 D1    1874 I      1874a Winnecke
 C/1874 G1    1874 II     1874b Winnecke
7P/           1875 I      1875b P/Pons-Winnecke
 C/1877 G1    1877 II     1877b Winnecke

Deepsky (NGC) Objects:

Object   RA (2000.0) Dec  Con  Type  o Discov    Other/Comment

NGC 1360  03:33.3 -25:51  For  PN      1868 Jan  Swift (1857)  
NGC 1398  03:38.9 -26:20  For  GS    ! 1868 Dec  Block (1879)
NGC 2146  06:18.7 +78:21  Cam  GSpec ! 1876
NGC 2276  07:27.  +85:45  Cep  GS    ! 1876
NGC 2300  07:32.  +85:43  Cep  GS0     1876      Borelly (1872)
NGC 3222  10:22.6 +19:53  Vir  GSB0  ! 1855 Mar  Auw 27
NGC 4760  12:53.1 -10:30  Vir  GE    ! 1876 Mar
NGC 6366  17:27.7 -05:05  Oph  GC    ! 1860 Apr  Auw 36
NGC 6655  18:34.4 -05:59  Sct  DS    ! 1854 Jul  Auw 42
NGC 6704  18:50.9 -05:12  Sct  OC    ! 1854 Jul  Auw 43
NGC 6791  19:20.7 +37:51  Lyr  OC    ! 1853 Dec  Auw 45

Key: Type: DS, Double Star; GC, Globular Cluster; GE, Elliptical Galaxy; GS, Spiral Galaxy - GS0, of type S0 - GSB0, of type SB0 - GS pec, peculiar; OC, Open Cluster; PN, Planetary Nebula. o: "!" marks original discoveries.

Links

F.A.T. Winnecke images, NGC/IC observers' page
Some F. August Winnecke info, Yann Pothier

References

Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke, 1869. Doppelsternmessungen. Astronomische Nachrichten, No. 1738, Vol. 73, col. 145-160 (February 8, 1869); published in Altona [ADS: 1869AN.....73..145W]
Orbituary: Death of Dr. Winnecke. In: Notices from the Lick Observatory. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 10, pp. 35-44 (02/1898) [ADS: 1898PASP...10...35.]. Here p. 43-44.

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