Previous (Chronologically) Next Biographies Index Previous ( Alphabetically) Next Welcome page
Bessel determined the positions and proper motions of stars and discovered the parallax of 61 Cygni. He also used a method of mathematical analysis involving what is now known as the Bessel function.
Bessel, as a boy, dreamed of travel so he studied languages, geography and the principles of navigation. This led him to study astronomy and mathematics. In 1804 he wrote a paper on Halley's comet, calculating the orbit from data from observations made in 1607. He sent it to Olbers and it was published. Olbers offered Bessel a post as assistant at the Lilienthal Observatory and after some thought Bessel left the affluence of his commercial job for the poverty of the Observatory post.
At the age of 26, Bessel was appointed director of Frederick William III of Prussia's new Königsberg Observatory and he was granted the title of doctor by the University of Göttingen. Bessel remained at Königsberg for the rest of his life, and it was there that he undertook his monumental task of determining the positions and proper motions of over 50000 stars which led to the discovery in 1838 of the parallax of 61 Cygni.
Bessel also worked out a method of mathematical analysis involving what is now known as the Bessel function. He introduced this in 1817 in his study of a problem of Kepler of determining the motion of three bodies moving under mutual gravitation. In 1824 he developed Bessel functions more fully in a study of planetary perturbations.
References elsewhere in this archive:
Tell me about Bessel's work on orbits and gravitation
References:
Previous (Chronologically) Next Biographies Index Previous ( Alphabetically) Next Welcome page History Topics Index Famous curves index Chronologies Birthplace Map Mathematicians of the day Anniversaries for the year Search Form Simple Search Form Search Suggestions