Johann Heinrich von Mädler

Johann Heinrich von Mädler (* May 29th 1794, with Berlin; † March 14th 1874, close to Hanover) is a German astronomer .

Starting from 1828, von Mädler led scientific research to an observatory rested by the astronomer Wilhelm Beer close to Berlin. It worked there, in collaboration with his colleague, in particular on the exact cartography of the the Moon and some Planet S.

In 1830, he becomes professor in Königliches Lehrerseminar Berlin ( the Royal Institute of the training of the Masters in Berlin ). Since 1836, during four years, von Mädler worked at the new Observatory of Berlin which had just been built. In 1840, he becomes the director of the Observatory of Dorpat (today Tartu, Estonia) while succeeding in this function Friedrich Wilhelm Struve which left to the prestigious Observatoire Pulkovo Saint Petersbourg. During a quarter century, von Mädler remained in station with Dorpat, teaching astronomy and undertaking its scientific research. It published many works. In 1865, it takes its retirement at the age of 71 years and returns to Germany where he dies nine years later close to Hanover.

The large chart of the Moon in four sheets, established by itself and its Beer college between 1834 and 1836 follow-up of the publication of the Allgemeine Selenography in two volumes (Berlin 1837), the text accompanying these charts, bring the general recognition to him. To Dorpat, it undertook interesting and new work on the double stars, the own movements of stars known as fixed and to the measure of the duration of the Tropical year. But its Assumption of a " solar system central" without our Galaxie did not prove thereafter and it was mistaken even in the direction where this center of our Milky Way is which it located in direction of the Pléiades.

Johann Heinrich von Mädler, in spite of its specific scientific errors, is surely one of the most eminent astronomers of the 19th century. Respectively a crater of the the Moon and Mars - with its honor - bear its name.

The conventional tropical year according to von Mädler

With share of other important astronomical work, von Mädler was characterized particularly by its measurements and calculations from the Tropical year with a precision ever reached before him. On the basis of its results, he proposed with the Russia ( to which Estonia belonged since Pierre Large the, enjoying an only partial autonomy ) a calendar reform. Russia of the Tsar S always applied the conventional tropical year according to Sosigène of Alexandria of 365,25 days exactly. Its proposal was the following one: to make up for the 12 days lost time compared to the Gregorian Calendar in the year 1900, but to apply after - astronomically irreproachable - a rule of 128 years for the " years exceptionally communes". This rule was found by itself, von Mädler. It is the first to have formulated it, suggested and published. ( the only strangeness in its proposal is the fact that neither the year 1900, nor the years 2028,2156 etc +128 +128… are divisible by this factor 128 ).

It is known that neither the Tsar nor the orthodoxe clergy followed this not requested proposal. After the Revolution of October, Lénine hurried to adopt the Western calendar (papal) with its conventional tropical year 365,2425 days, equalizes with 365j. 5:49 min. and 12s, established by Clavius, the astronomer of Gregoire XIII. However, the conventional tropical year according to Clavius was astronomically correct there is approximately 6000 years only (sic). modern science takes - too often still - as value of reference the conventional tropical year according to Simon Newcomb (1835-1909) 365,2422 days, equalizes with 365j. 5:48 min. 46,08s.

This value of Newcomb is " more plaisante" with the eyes of this crushing current majority of scientists, who " swear only by the décimal". In their eyes, this value of four decimal places after the comma, is " forcément" a better rounded figure than the seven decimal places after the comma of von Mädler. To argue that the value mädlerienne not only has only two hexadecimal positions after the hexadecimal point, but also " colle" very well with four years the bissextile rule (32 × 4 = 128) ; this argumentation is " perdue" pains; with regard to these scientists of rear-guard who chose to look with contempt and scorn, all that does not combine with their " system decimal choyé". Because, they ignore the modern scientists, with ten fingers them also, but which already understood that they have two inches and eight other fingers and that twice eight make sixteen . Fortunately, all the established scientists are not locked up in their preconceived decimal ideas.

the real tropical year 2000.0, measured by the eminent French astronomer Pierre Bretagnon (1942-2002), was 365,242190517 days, therefore approximately of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45,26 seconds. This is a value already very, very near to the conventional tropical year according to von Mädler: 365,2421875 days, equalizes with 365j. 5:48 min. 45s or: 365j. 6:00 less 11min. 15s. (cf hexadecimal Time). However, the real tropical year decreases very slowly, but constantly, currently of a half-second approximately per century. It will thus reach the value of the conventional tropical year according to von Mädler - for an urgent only, certainly - in the all next decades. It follows from there that we can surely " to still take into account this conventional tropical year according to von Mädler."

Works

Der Wunderbau of Weltalls oder populäre Astronomy . (Berlin 1841,8^{e^{edition 1865), which inspired Camille Flammarion.}}
Beobachtungen der Sternwarte zu Dorpat . Volumes 9-16. (Dorpat 1842-1866)
Die Centralsonne . (Dorpat 1846)
Untersuchungen über die Fixsternsysteme . 2 volumes. (Mitau 1847-1848)
Beiträge zur Fixsternkunde . (Haarlem 1855)
Die Eigenbewegungen der Fixsterne . (Dorpat 1856)
Der Fixsternhimmel . (Leipzig 1858)
Reden und Abhandlungen über Gegenstände der Himmelskunde . (Berlin 1870)
Geschichte der Himmelskunde . 2 volumes. (Braunschweig 1872-1873)

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