d’Arrest, Heinrich Louis

Alternate Name

d'Arrest, Heinrich Ludwig

Born Berlin, (Germany), 13 August 1822

Died Copenhagen, Denmark, 14 June 1875

In addition to discovering three comets and 342 NGC objects, Heinrich d’Arrest assisted Johann Galle in discovering Neptune on 23 September 1846. D’Arrest studied mathematics and astronomy from 1839 at Berlin University. He was appointed second assistant observer at the Berlin Observatory in 1845; he left in 1848 to become an observer at the Leipzig Observatory. After earning his Ph.D. in 1850 at the University of Leipzig, he served there as extraordinary professor from 1852. In 1857, d’Arrest married Auguste Emilie Möbius, daughter of mathematician A. F. Möbius, under whom he worked at the observatory. That year, d’Arrest went to Copenhagen as professor of astronomy and director of the observatory there.

In 1845, Johann Encke , director of the Berlin Observatory, granted permission to search for the trans-Uranian planet whose location was predicted by ...